Every parent's worst nightmare: Chilling moment a man tries to abduct a little girl from the back of a car - after her mother left her alone for just 30 SECONDS

The woman and one child are seen leaving the car in the hotel carpark, while an eight-year-old girl is left in the back seat

Chilling CCTV footage has captured the terrifying moment an eight-year-old girl was almost kidnapped from a car after her mother left her alone for less than a minute.

A video clip shows the mother pull up into a hotel car park before getting out of her vehicle and walking another child inside.

Police say the girl, aged eight, stayed behind in the unlocked car.

Moments later, the same footage shows a pick up truck arrive into the car park.

The driver gets out and appears to follow the mother and child into the Emerald Hotel in Queensland, Australia.

As the woman takes one child into the pub, the man is seen following behind before turning and looking at the car

With no one watching, the man turns and walks to the right hand passenger door and attempts to grab the child

But he notices the child alone in the vehicle and doubles back on himself, appearing to get something out of the driver's cab of his truck.

When he believes no one is looking, he wanders over to the car and opens the passenger door, in an attempt to grab the girl.

Although there is no sound on the footage, police say the girl started screaming.

Just seconds later, a hotel employee walks into the car park with a trolley, prompting the man to shut the car door and walk back to his own vehicle.

He jumps in the truck and immediately reverses out of the car park - all before the mother has returned to her vehicle.

Police are now searching for the man in the CCTV footage and have released the clip in a bid to warn other parents not to leave their children unattended - even for just 60 seconds.

The man has been described as Caucasian with a proportionate build, last seen wearing a green t-shirt, dark shorts and sandals.

Anyone who has any information is urged to contact Queensland Police.