EVERY mother's nightmare is to turn around in a shopping centre or crowded street and find that their young child had wandered off without a trace.

The scenario, which usually prompts a frantic search, has influenced two men to set up a system of relocating children who have gone missing.

Jamie Miller, 28, and Adam McLoughlin, 21, are the men behind the new tagging system, whereby youngsters carry a keyring with an identity code and helpline number.

"Anyone who finds a child who is lost can dial the number on the keyring and relay the identity code to the operator," said Mr Miller, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Our database will have the details of that child and be able to contact the parents or the school."

The National Safe Home Database, based temporarily in Northallerton before relocating to Middlesbrough, has the possibility of being used in a range of circumstances. Talks are under way with schools and police authorities in the hope they will back the system.

"The database can also store vital medical information that someone who finds a child in a vulnerable position may need to be aware of," said Mr McLoughlin, from Middlesbrough.

Parents can register their child's details at a cost of £10 for eight years.

The scheme is specifically devised for children aged between three and 11 and for adults with learning or physical disabilities.

The two entrepreneurs have had checks made by the Criminal Records Bureau and registered with the Information Commissioner, which maintains a public register of data controllers.

An Information Commissioner, spokeswoman said: "Many organisations which hold personal information will need to register with us and abide to a set of principles of good information handling."

For more information about the system, contact 0845 600 2740.