Closure-threatened nursery saved

Frustrated parents demonstrated outside council offices on Monday

A nursery earmarked for closure after a structural report found the building was unsafe is to remain open following a protest from angry mothers.

Poole council shut the Merley Youth Club temporary building, housing the Down In The Woods pre-school, in Wimborne, Dorset, on Friday.

The report said it might not withstand winds above 45mph or heavy snowfall.

The council said it would improve the building's safety after meeting parent representatives and nursery staff.

Debbie Benjafield, the manager of Down In The Woods, said: "I am absolutely over the moon.

"It means that we can now look forward to the future."

'Absolutely appalling'

The news comes after dozens of frustrated parents, who were informed of the closure only hours before the building was shut, descended on the local authority's offices on Monday.

At the time, the Mid Dorset and Poole North MP, Annette Brooke, whose children attended the nursery more than 30 years ago, described the situation as "absolutely appalling".

A report said the building may not withstand a heavy snowfall

She said: "I think it's crisis management at its worse because clearly it has been known for a long time that these buildings were past their sell-by date."

Anne Newton, Poole's strategic director for children's services, said on Wednesday: "A meeting was held today between council officers, members, staff from Down in the Woods Nursery and parent representatives.

"Significant progress was made in reaching an interim solution to improve the safety of the building, which will enable services currently provided on the premises to continue once this work is completed."

It is understood the Down in the Woods youngsters will be taught at another school over the next fortnight while work on shoring up the structure gets under way.