MORE than 100 MPs have called for a tighter controls on nurseries to prevent tragedies - similar to the drowning of a local toddler in Belmont 20 months ago.

Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle has put down the Commons motion which criticises the owners of the Belmont nursery for keeping a pond within the grounds.

Twenty-month-old Alex Rae fell into a puddle of rainwater which had formed in a tarpaulin spread over the ornamental pond at the Hill top Bunnies Nursery.

Although the nursery was registered by Lancashire County Council, the garden was not considered part of the premises.

It was later revealed that only one qualified member of staff, who failed to see Alex wandering off, was on duty at the time. Nursery owner Carolyn Brown was fined £4000 for keeping unsafe premises, looking after too many children and failing to employ enough qualified staff. Last year Prime Minister Tony Blair proposed tougher regulation, registration and inspection regimes some of which were outlined earlier this month by Minister Margaret Hodge.

Alex's mother Catriona Rae, of Oakmere Avenue, Withnell Fold, welcomed the news at the time of Mr Blair's announcement but said it was a shame they were not in force before Alex died, adding that more needed to be done.

Now Mr Hoyle, who last year introduced a Commons Bill on the same issue, has put down a motion on Parliament's Order Paper - the daily agenda sent to all MPs, Ministers and Senior Civil Servants.

It calls for a much tighter regime and has been backed by 111 other MPs included Bolton West's Ruth Kelly, Pendle's Gordon Prentice, Bury North's David Chator, Bury South's Ivan Lewis, Bury North East's David Crausby, and Bolton South East's Brian Iddon. Its signatories include MPs from all parties.

The motion says: "We note with regret the death of Alex Rae, a 20-month-old toddler, who tragically drowned on July 8 1997 whilst in the care of Hilltop Bunnies Nursery. We believe that this needless death could have been prevented by the removal of the pond situated within the nursery grounds. "We further believe that had inspections of the nursery been more regular, and guidelines for nursery safety more stringent, then the pond would have been removed and the toddler more closely supervised.

"We call on the Government to amend the Childrens' Act 1989 to introduce stricter inspections of nurseries and tighter guidelines for nursery owners, managers and teachers to ensure the children are better protected."

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