A young girl lies sprawled across the parcel shelf of a moving car – as it drives past a police station.

Road safety campaigners have branded the driver “appallingly irresponsible” after the snap was posted on Facebook’s Spotted in Canterbury page.

It was taken by Sam Macdonald as the red VW Polo whizzed past the station in Old Dover Road.

Police were handed the picture by the Gazette and tracked down the driver, who claims she did not realise her daughter had clambered out of her car seat.

PC Kevin O’Rourke, who traced the registration number of the car, said: “What’s happened is she’s picked her daughter up from a nursery around the corner from the police station.

“She has a safety seat with straps, which I’ve checked, but her daughter slipped out of the straps and got on the parcel shelf.

“The mother hadn’t noticed she had got of the car seat and couldn’t do anything about it at the time.

"Letting a child ride unrestrained in a vehicle is appallingly irresponsible..." - Siobhan MacMahon, Brake

“She’s probably looking at getting a fixed penalty notice for not having a child wearing a seat belt.”

Siobhan MacMahon, campaigns officer at road safety charity Brake, has criticised the woman for failing to keep her daughter strapped up.

She said: “Letting a child ride unrestrained in a vehicle is appallingly irresponsible.

“Drivers have a responsibility to keep passengers and other road users safe, but especially children.

“Our advice to parents is always ensure your child is properly restrained using a child restraint suitable for their size and weight until they are 150cm.”

Organisers of the Facebook page were also shocked by the image, writing: “Wow... that’s scary. Straight out the front window if the car brakes hard.”