AN emergency operator put the phone down on a Widnes man - when he called to say a pervert had just asked his granddaughter: "Can I rape you?"

A Merseyside Police operator disconnected the call after the Ditton resident's 999 calls were put through to them by mistake after the attack in January.

His granddaughter - not yet in her teens - had been playing on the field by Bankfield Road when she noticed a middle-aged man with a walking stick lying in the grass.

He stood up and said "can I rape you" and the girl fled to a nearby friend's house.

The grandfather told the World: "If my granddaughter hadn't had the sense to run away who knows what might have happened. She was very shaken at the time and the next day she felt sick and nervous."

A 999 call was made to Cheshire Police from a telephone in the friend's house. They arrived 40 minutes later and the grandfather said the officers were "brilliant."

A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: "We received a call at 7.59pm saying the incident had happened about half-an-hour ago. The call was correctly designated as there was no crime ongoing."

Unacceptable

During the 40 minute wait, the grandfather arrived at the friend's house and tried to call police twice more with his mobile - but instead was put through to Merseyside Police.

They said they couldn't connect him to the Widnes division and that "genuine callers are trying to get through."

Ch Supt Dave Lewis, of Merseyside Police, said: "It's not unusual for calls from a mobile close to the border to be put through to the wrong call centre.

"The way this call has been dealt with is unacceptable and not of the standards we seek to achieve. I am willing to speak to him to explain the situation and apologise.

"The call will be investigated to ensure that this does not happen again."