Baffled Holloway residents were woken up by police shouting through a megaphone at 3am today.

A three-year-old girl had “toddled” into the care of officers in the Tollington Way area.

Deciding to take a proactive approach using the megaphone in a police van, the tactic worked as she was returned safe and well to her parents. It is not known how she ended up on the streets.

Michelle Wood, 30, of nearby Sussex Way, was woken up when the van patrolled her street and said: “It was really strange to hear at 3.20am. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

“I looked out the window and saw a van with blue flashing lights and a voice on a megaphone saying something along the lines of: ‘This is the police. A little girl has been found wandering on the streets. Check to see if your children are home as a matter of urgency.’

“I think it was really sad that someone was going through that, but I’m happy to be woken up in those circumstances.”

Another woman, who lives in Tollington Way but didn’t wish to be named, said: “It was really unexpected. All of a sudden there was a loud noise from the police going back and forth around Tollington Way.

“They were asking for parents to check for their children in their house. Thankfully, they were found. I am grateful the police communicated it on Twitter!

“It was a very weird experience.”