Three British children were taken into care in Portugal after their middle-class parents allegedly drank themselves into a stupor.
Police were called after Eamon McGuckin, 34, was found passed out in a hotel reception while his wife Antoinette, 32, threw up in front of the crying infants.
The couple, described by neighbours as "lovely parents" had to be taken to hospital for treatment after returning to their hotel drunk and falling asleep before reaching their room.
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A bar close to the McGuckins' hotel in the Algarve where they got so drunk they required hospital treatment
The Cactus Bar's affordability ensures a lively crowd
The couple feared they would to be treated seriously by Portuguese police, who have faced a barrage of criticism over their handling of the Madeleine McCann case.
Mr McGuckin last night said he and his wife were waiting to learn if they would have to go to court.
However, a judicial source said today it is "very unlikely" that the couple will face charges of neglecting their three young children.
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Instead police, hospital and social services reports are expected to be assembled and sent to the UK authorities.
The McGuckins' children Aaron, six, Amy, two, and one-year-old Adam were taken to a children's home on Friday night while their parents were being treated.
They were given back to the couple the next day and there is no suggestion they were left alone at any time.
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The family's newly-built £450,000 detached house in Londonderry, Northern Ireland
The children, aged one, two and six were taken to the Refugio Aboim Ascensao children's home in Faro.
Dr Luis Villas-Boas, the home's director, said the incident was "very very shocking".
"It is the first time it has happened in my 22 years working at this home," he said.
Family hotel: The Mourabel in Vilamoura, Portugal
"It's normal for a couple for one to drink while the other doesn't drink. The problem here is they were both passed out.
"It was extreme neglect and abandonment. I hope somebody carries this information to the UK so these parents can at least be seen because these children are indeed at risk.
"They were in severe danger and there could be a risk because it is very unlikely it was the first time for the parents to drink like that."
The manager of the Mourabel hotel in Vilamoura, where the family were staying, said: "Fortunately the children were safe - otherwise it might have been not one Maddie, but three Maddies."
He said the couple, from Maghera, County Londonderry, in Northern Ireland, arrived on Friday and went out for dinner at about 8pm with the children, returning at 10pm.
"The man, he tried to sit down on the sofa and fell through it," he added. "He fell asleep immediately, he passed out. We tried to wake him but it was impossible.
"The lady, she tried to go with the children to the apartment... She was struggling with the pushchair, swaying around from side to side.
"We put her and the children inside the bar. She was sitting on a chair and she fell asleep and never woke up.
"We tried to wake her but she was very, very bad. She started to be sick every minute."
The emergency services were called but could not rouse the pair, so they were taken to hospital in nearby Loule.
Social workers then arrived at the hotel with court papers and took the crying children to a refuge in Faro, the manager said.
He added: "Under Portuguese law, if the father and mother drink a lot in front of the children, it is illegal."
The couple, from Maghera, near Belfast, left hospital at 5am on Saturday. The children were returned to them just before noon. They were unharmed and showed no signs of neglect.
Dr Villas-Boas said his children's home was called at just after midnight and asked to provide emergency shelter for three British children whose parents were drunk. The youngsters were given a quick hospital check-up in Faro then arrived at the home at about 5am on Saturday morning.
Dr Villas-Boas said: "There were no problems with the children, they were just exhausted, which is normal for a one or two-year-old.
"They slept until 9.30am - they were so very tired. They had some yoghurt or cookies, or whatever they wanted for breakfast.
"Then around 10am they went to a room to watch some TV with international children's movies.
"I talked to the oldest child for a while. He was not that much disturbed."
He went on to say the parents had committed an "immense mistake", adding: "I wish them luck."
Neighbours near the family's newly-built £450,000 detached house said Mr McGuckin works for a mortgage company.
One, John Alexander, said: "Antoinette is a very attentive mother, she spends an inordinate amount of time with her children and she wouldn't even leave them in the garden for longer than five minutes without checking them."
Another described them as devoted parents.
"I've never really seen them out socialising," she said. "They just keep themselves to themselves and look after their wee ones. They're lovely parents and their children are always happy."
The couple refused to comment.
Three British children taken into care after middle class parents 'drink themselves into a stupor' on the Algarve | the Daily Mail
Three British children taken into care after parents "drink themselves into a stupor"
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