Whangarei mum charged

A Whangarei mother has been charged after allegedly leaving her 10-month-old son alone in a car while she played pokie machines in a hotel bar.

A member of the public rang police after spotting the distressed baby in a locked car in the central city.

Police found the 21-year-old mother across the road in Shunters Bar, where staff reported she had been playing the pokie machines for at least an hour.

She will appear in court.