Alex Batty has revealed he decided to return to the UK for a better future, having realised his mother was a 'great person but not a great mum’.

Interviewed for the first time, the 17-year-old said he realised he could no longer live with his ‘anti-government, anti-vax’ mother after an argument.

In an interview with The Sun, the teenager, who is back in the UK after more than six years since he disappeared on holiday in Spain with his mother and grandfather, said he had become fed up of his nomadic lifestyle with ‘no friends’ and ‘no social life’.

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Alex did not return from a pre-arranged trip there when he was 11 and is said to have lived an “alternative” lifestyle abroad before deciding to return home.

He was picked up by chiropody student Fabien Accidini near the French city of Toulouse in the early hours of December 13 after he said he had walked across the Pyrenees ‘for four days and four nights’.

However, Alex has now revealed that he made up the story to try to protect his mother and grandfather, who he says is still alive, following claims from French prosecutors that he may have died.

Instead, Alex trekked for 70 miles over two days to reach Toulouse, sleeping outside on the ground in ‘freezing’ conditions.

He told The Sun: “I’ve been lying to try and protect my mum and grandad but I realise that they’re probably gonna get caught anyway.

“I pretended I had been on such a long journey for that reason.”

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Speaking about his mother, Melanie Batty, in an interview with the paper, he said: “She’s a great person and I love her but she’s just not a great mum.

“I had an argument with my mum and I just thought I’m gonna leave because I can’t live with her.”

The teenager – who is under the legal guardianship of his grandmother Susan Caruana in Oldham – said his mother was “anti-government, anti-vax” whose catchphrase was “becoming a slave to the system”.

“I realised it wasn’t a great way to live for my future,” he continued.

“Moving around. No friends, no social life. Working, working, work and not studying. That’s the life I imagined I would be leading if I were to stay with my mum.”

After being looked after by the French authorities, Alex met his step-grandfather at Toulouse airport on Saturday before boarding a flight back to the UK, Greater Manchester Police said.

He can now look forward to spending time with family members, friends and others he grew up with in Oldham, where he was living as a young boy before he disappeared and police say is “where he wants to be”.

It is thought Alex had been living with his mother and grandfather, who had taken him on the trip to Spain in September 2017 – across Spain, Morocco and France while he was missing. 

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Oldham. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk or click to send me a message on WhatsApp or on Signal on 07517566383.