A dad staying in a Travelodge with his teenage daughter was left appalled when hotel staff allegedly accused him of being a paedophile.
Suspicious staff called the police on widower Craig Darwell, 46, after checking in with his 13-year-old daughter.
Craig, who regularly goes on outings with his daughter, was treating the youngster to a trip to Thorpe Park.
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They had been staying at a Travelodge close to the theme park in Chertsey, Surrey.
All was going smoothly until Craig made his way back to reception after moving his car, when a manager asked him for parental proof.
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"I couldn't believe it," Craig told The Sun. "I have stayed in lots of places over the years and this has never happened to me before.
"We checked in and then I had to move my car. When I got back to reception the guy started asking me to prove I was her dad. He said it was company policy and I had to go onto Facebook to show messages I've sent to her.
"It was bizarre and really offensive. Then he told me that he'd already called police so I had to wait for them to arrive.
"Luckily it took them about two seconds to realise he had got the wrong end of the stick, but it ruined the weekend for me."
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Craig, whose wife, Sarah, died from leukaemia when their was four, said: "This has never happened before."
Surrey Police said: "Police were called by a member of staff at the Travelodge in Chertsey on Thursday 30 March just after 8pm following a concern for safety.
"Officers attended and made no arrests, no further enquiries will take place.
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"Hotels, taxi companies and other licensed premises have recently been equipped with the right knowledge to identify children who could be at risk of exploitation under Operation Makesafe."
Last month, another dad shared his story of being wrongly accused of paedophilia all because of a typo that had sent police officers to a wrong address.
Nigel Lang, 44, was at home with his partner and their two-year-old son when South Yorkshire Police smashed their way into his house, back in July 2011.
He was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent pictures of children. Mr Lang called the incident 'the most horrendous and horrific' time of his life.
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He said: "Not being able to look after my kid, it was heartbreaking."
"The most horrific thing is that your life is turned upside down. There's just no hope," he added.
Turned out that police Hertfordshire had accidentally added an extra digit into an IP address which they had linked to indecent images of children.
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