He walked in pitch darkness to reach an emergency phone (Picture: Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

A 17-year-old boy has been rescued after he was left stranded on the side of a motorway in Cambridgeshire.

The teenager had been abandoned by his parents on the M11.

He was forced to walk a mile in the pitch darkness to reach an emergency SOS phone to call for help.

Police were able to come to his aid and ensure he was placed in a safe home following the traumatic incident.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary raised awareness of the incident on Facebook.

In a statement, the force said: ‘Imagine you are 17 years old. Imagine being left by your parents at the side of a motorway near a city you’re not familiar with.

‘Imagine having to walk a mile at night, on the darkest stretch of that motorway, to the emergency SOS phone to get some help.

‘That was the reality for one boy recently on the M11. He wasn’t from Cambridgeshire and had no links to here, but he needed our help and we did exactly that.

Police say the boy was abandoned on a stretch of the M11 (Picture: Google Maps)

‘Thanks to officers from our Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), he was temporarily placed in police protection and is in a safer environment while investigations continue into where he will now be happiest.’

Anyone with concerns about a child has been urged to get in touch with their local police force, as information could save a life.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary added: ‘All reports can be made in confidence and can be done anonymously.’

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He was forced to walk a mile in the pitch darkness to reach an emergency phone.