A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy who was mistakenly left at a safari park while on a nursery outing said he had played on a pirate ship until he was found by a "man with a walkie talkie".

Owen Paterson was on an outing to Blair Drummond Safari Park with 300 other pupils from Pitcorthie Primary and Nursery in Fife. When the coaches returned to the school on Monday afternoon, the youngster was nowhere to be found.

The local council has now launched an investigation into the blunder but Owen's grandmother, Sandra McQueen, 51, from Dunfermline, branded the trip a "shambles" and said her family were demanding "answers from the school".

Owen said he did not get scared when he could not find his teacher and class.

He said: "I was brave.

"I went on a pirate ship and on the big slide and then the man with the white jumper and walkie talkie found me and took me to the restaurant.

"I was happy to see my mummy again."

Ms McQueen said Owen's mother Amanda, 28, had gone to the nursery to to pick him up at 3pm but it soon emerged that Owen had not returned on the buses with the other pupils. She got into a car and drove to the safari park with a teacher while other members of staff went in a separate car.

But Ms McQueen said: "One of Amanda's friends phoned her on the way and said that she had spoken to the park but that no one else at that point had phoned about it.

"The safari park sent out their security to look for him and he was found about 3.30pm by the security guard.

"He'd been missing since the buses left at 1.15pm and no one had any idea where he was.

"Anything could've happened to him there, it's full of wild animals."

Council officials visited the family on Tuesday to apologise, and promised an investigation would be launched.

Sandra added: "We're very angry and we want answers about what happened and why the teachers never did a head count or took a register.

"The school still won't speak to us so we don't know what's going on. But we're just relieved that Owen was okay in the end."

Peter McNaughton, head of service for Fife council's education and children's services, said the local authority was treating the incident "extremely seriously".

He said: "As soon as the child was noted as missing immediate action was taken to contact Blair Drummond Safari Park and the police.

"We have been in contact with the child's parents and communication with the family is ongoing.

"The five year old was found safe and well, still playing in the children's play area, which is in a completely separate area to the animal enclosures."