OFSTED has closed a nursery near Tetbury over fears that children were 'at risk of harm'.

The Stable Nursery in Tetbury Upton closed on Monday, September 18, and it has been claimed that parents were not given any notice of the closure.

The nursery worked with 50 children and families and employed 15 staff.

A spokesperson for the education watchdog confirmed today: "We suspended this nursery’s registration on 18 September because we had reasonable cause to believe that children were at risk of harm.

"The manager has since resigned the nursery’s registration."

Earlier this year, Ofsted ordered the nursery to take immediate action to ensure the safety and health of its children.

The closure comes after a damning report in May which rated the pre-school as 'inadequate'.

The inspection was made after Ofsted received a complaint in March that raised concerns about children’s access to food and drink, planning for children’s development, and staff’s understanding of safeguarding.

Inspector Julie Swann criticised the pre-school saying that staff did not ensure children were kept safe and failed to identify and minimise a number of “significant” hazards.

She said that some equipment and areas of the premises were not fit for purpose, pointing out that children accessed stagnant water outdoors and that some areas and equipment were dirty and broken.

Later in May, Ofsted carried out another visit to the nursery and reported that steps had been taken and were"satisfied with the improvements made".

The report stated that the pre-school would be re-inspected within six months.

The nursery had also been facing uncertainty with its premises after being informed earlier this year that the private estate where they are situated will be up for sale by the end of the year.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said that the authority was aware that the nursery had closed. 

They continued: "We don’t have details yet because a report has not been published. We are happy to help find alternative places or childcare provision, if parents need that."