Widower staying with his own daughter, 13, is accused of being a PAEDOPHILE by Travelodge staff 

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A widower who lost his wife to cancer was accused of being a paedophile by Travelodge staff when he took his daughter away to go to Thorpe Park.

Craig Darwell, 46, was shocked when suspicious staff called the police after he arrived at the hotel in Chertsey, Surrey, with 13-year-old Millie.

A manager then asked him to prove that he was Millie's father by showing them private Facebook messages between him an his daughter, he claims. 

Craig Darwell, 46, had taken 13-year-old Millie away for a couple of days to visit Thorpe Park and was accused of being a paedophile by staff at the Travelodge

Officers then arrived to investigate the horrific claims made against the father, who lost his wife to laekaemia when Milllie was four.

He said that the accusation 'ruined' the weekend away with Millie, who he was taking to visit nearby Thorpe Park. 

Mr Darwell said: 'It was bizarre and really offensive. Then he told me that he'd already called police so I had to wait for them to arrive.'

Speaking to The Sun, he added: 'Luckily it took them about two seconds to realise he had got the wrong end of the stick, but it ruined the weekend for me.'

The same think happened to author and broadcaster Will Self, who was stopped by police while out walking with his 11-year-old son.

A security guard had called the police after seeing Self, who was 51 at the time, walking with the boy on a rambling holiday in Yorkshire.

The staff member at Chertsey Travelodge had called the police, who then arrived at the budget hotel to investigate the claims

'No Englishman enjoying a ramble with his son should face examination by police at the roadside on suspicion of being a sexual predator,' he said at the time. 

Mr Darwell, from Leeds, said that in nearly ten years of taking his daughter to events and on outings alone since his wife died, this has never happened before.

The staff member told him it was 'company policy' to make such inquiries and made him go on Facebook to reveal messages between them, Mr Darwell claims.

Mr Darwell, who lost his wife Sarah to leukaemia when Millie was four, had been taking his daughter to Thorpe Park (pictured)

A spokesman for Travelodge said: 'We take our responsibilities towards protecting children and vulnerable young people extremely seriously.

'Our colleagues are trained based on current national guidelines from the NSPCC, the police and other agencies and in the past, hotel team actions have led to successful intervention to protect young people.

'Clearly fine judgements have to be made and we deeply regret any distress or inconvenience caused to Mr Darwell on this occasion.

'We are undertaking a full investigation into the circumstances and will take careful note of any lessons learned in due course, including additional training where appropriate.

'In the meantime, we would like to apologise to Mr Darwell for the situation he encountered and we will be making further contact with him as our investigation continues.'

Surrey Police said: 'We were called by a member of staff at the Travelodge on Guildford Street in Chertsey on Thursday, 30 March just after 8pm following a concern for safety.

'Officers attended and made no arrests, no further enquiries will take place. Hotels, taxi companies and other licensed premises’ have recently been equipped with the right knowledge to identify children who could be at risk of exploitation under Operation Makesafe.'