A seven-year-old boy drove his drunk father home on a tricycle through the busy streets of a Chinese city.

Pictures of the small child, who appeared to be wearing slippers, show him weaving through traffic with his dad passed out in the back of the trike.

The incident took place in Yizhou city, in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, earlier this month.

Reports claim the boy’s father had passed out after drinking late into the night.

The youngster is said to have driven with “skill and composure” and gone to collect his dad before taking him home in a round trip totalling 12 miles.

The images, which have gone viral, sparked furious online debate in China.

One person wrote: “Such a dangerous act, yet no one stepped in to stop it, no one bothered to call the police, this cannot be encouraged. Those under 12-year-old cannot ride their bikes on the road, let alone electric tricycles.

“It was a miracle that nothing happened, I was fearful.”

Another added: “There are so many in this world who are not fit to be parents.”

Shouldn’t the father be punished?