A ROW has broken out over plans to close a pre-school day nursery in Accrington.

Hyndburn councillors claim that parents who have children at the Manchester Road Day Nursery will not be able to transport them instead to the Silver Birches family support centre two miles away in Clayton-le-Moors.

The nursery is one of three in East Lancashire earmarked last November for closure this summer by Lancashire County Council. Hyndburn council leader Peter Britcliffe, said: "We are being fobbed off again. Every year Hyndburn is giving more and more for less and less.

"The Manchester Road nursery provides excellent facilities, particularly for working families. Some of them will find it difficult to get to Clayton, particularly if they don't have a car."

The Manchester Road facility, due to close in the summer, provides pre-school care for children who are often from deprived backgrounds. The money saved from the closure will go towards the family support centre, which will work with disadvantaged families and provide help for youngsters until they are 18.

Family centre workers will also offer respite care and help to people running support groups. The hours staff work will be more flexible than the current 8am-6pm shifts operated by the day nurseries.

Teenage parents, parents of teenagers with behavioural or drugs problems and ethnic minority families will all receive help. It is hoped the new support will reduce the number of children needing to go into care by tackling problems before they get out of hand.

County Councillor Jean Yates, chairman of the quality protects panel at County Hall, said: "The county council is currently making radical changes to improve the services it provides. We feel the children using our nurseries, who have a wide range of needs, can be best helped through family centres and one-to-one attention.

"Our aim is to provide the best possible services and the resources made available by closing these nurseries will be ploughed straight back into providing better services for children."