MUNICH (dpa) 

A family forgot one of their two sons at a German petrol station while driving to their holiday in Austria, police said on Tuesday.

The family from the western city of Offenburg had stopped for fuel on the A8 motorway near Holzkirchen in Bavaria on Friday morning.

The younger of the two sons went to the toilet, while the parents continued toward Austria with his sleeping brother.

It was only after about half an hour that the mother and father realised only one of their sons was in the car. When they called the police, officers quickly reassured them: the 10-year-old had approached staff at the station, who then contacted the police.

The boy was allowed to ride in a patrol car to the police station, where his parents picked him up. According to police, the boy approached the situation "calmly."