A STRANGER who walked into the wrong house in Sherston caused a police incident and gave a teenage babysitter the shock of a lifetime.

Rosie Parkes, 16, was in the house looking after her young cousin when she was disturbed by the man at around 8.30pm last night.

She said: “I was babysitting for my aunt that evening. I was just sitting on the sofa and I heard the door opening.

“I didn’t really realise that it could have been someone else until I looked up into the corridor and I saw a big, bulky, black man in the hallway.”

The man asked if he was in the right house and Rosie replied but the man quickly turned around and left the house before speeding off around the corner into another part of the village.

Rosie was shocked by the sudden intrusion and ran upstairs to see where the car was going and to comfort her young cousin.

“All I know is that he is a care worker for Leonard Cheshire. Even if he is it doesn’t give him a right to walk into the house without explaining himself," she said.

Rosie’s mother Ann Simpson said that her family was extremely unhappy with the incident and would be taking further action including writing a letter to Wiltshire Council.

She said: “We don’t really know who to call, we just know that he was an employee of Leonard Cheshire.

“I think the police were happy enough with that, but I’m not.”

Despite the ordeal Mrs Simpson praised the response of the village as many people joined in with updating each other via Facebook and looking out for their neighbours as a result of the initial post.

This event has prompted the family to rethink how safe they are in their homes and other Sherston residents also expressed their worries about the incident.

Mrs Simpson said: “I don’t really worry about things like that but this has totally changed my outlook on that. Everybody will be upping their game as far as security goes.”

A spokesperson for Leonard Cheshire Disability said: “One of our carers accidentally went to the wrong address in Sherston to carry out essential care for a disabled resident.

“As the people we support can have limited or no mobility, our staff often need access to homes to provide vital day-to-day help for those who can’t reach their front doors independently.

“We want to reassure the local community our carers are committed to providing good quality support to everyone who uses our services.”

Leonard Cheshire declined to comment on whether or not there would be any changes to training or recruitment procedures in light of the incident.

Wiltshire Police confirmed that the man was a care worker for Leonard Cheshire and said that they would be taking no further action against him.