A FRIENDLY four-year-old girl helped bring a child back to her mother after getting lost in a town centre.

Layla-Rose Gunner was out with her mother Lauren Thompson in Basildon town centre on Saturday when Layla-Rose found another girl, aged 3, who had got separated from her mother.

The girl was too shy to talk to adults or police officers, so Layla-Rose stepped up and made friends with the girl and asked her questions on behalf of the officers.

She also held the girl’s hand until she was reunited with her mother.

A spokesman for the Basildon Community Policing Team said: "To thank Layla-Rose for her kind and mature actions, our Police Community Support Officers presented her with a certificate signed by the District Commander for Basildon, Chief Inspector Chris Bradford and more importantly, a special honorary police bear.

"Thank you for being a good citizen Layla-Rose.

"She showed such kindness and was an amazing example of what a good citizen should be."