PARENTS in the Westleigh area of Leigh are up in arms over the sudden closure of a play scheme.

After four years of providing a haven for youngsters at the XII Apostles Church Hall, the group were shocked to be told on Monday that they had just 48 hours to leave the premises.

They claim they were told that safety measures at the hall, next to the local Labour Club in Nel Pan lane, were not up to scratch.

But parents, who face a bleak spring and summer holiday season without facilities for up to 40 children up to eight years of age, say the work could be done in less than three hours.

One mother, Sonya Gibbons of Shipham Close, who has been taking her children to the group since it started, said: "Many of the parents around here have been taking their children to the playgroup for the past four years and we have always found it perfectly all right.

"Now we receive a visit from the council's safety officials saying we have to close straight away, one of the reasons being there is no barrier on a set of three steps."

She added: "The parents themselves have agreed that they would do the work themselves and it could be done in about three hours at the most."

A council spokesman said: "Our concern is for the safety of children.

"There are regulations about the number of children that can be cared for and the number of hours they can be looked after, and we have found that the ratio of staff to children is in breach of the regulations.

"They have not in any way been closed down, but meetings have been held and they have been told to address the problems and come up with an action plan."

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