A CHILDREN’S nursery has been forced to close its doors.

Twinkle Toes Nursery, based in Lions Drive, on Blackburn’s Shadsworth Business Park, has shut after eight years.

‘Business difficulties’ have been blamed for the closure, which has left parents scrabbling for places with alternative providers.

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Owner Karen Townes said: “We have now closed because of a business issue, which I am not prepared to go into.

“I’m not sure if or when the nursery will be able to be reopened to be truthful.

“This has clearly been a very difficult time for us.

“If the nursery reopens, it will not be under the name Twinkle Toes.”

Since the closure, letters have been sent to parents who regularly send their children to the nursery informing them of the development, Mrs Townes said.

One concerned parent, who has asked not to be identified, said: “Nobody seems to know anything and parents are frantically contacting other nurseries to find places for their children.”

According to information contained in the nursery’s most recent Ofsted report, in 2013, the business employed 11 members of childcare staff and it provided funded early years education for two, three and four-year-old children.

At the time, the nursery, which catered for children up to five years old, had a total of 56 places and 47 children on its roll. The company that operated it was called Bright Beacon Ltd.

It was registered with the education watchdog in 2007 and operated from a converted first-floor accommodation within an industrial unit. It was rated as ‘good’ after its last inspection.

Inspector Jeanette Brookfield, writing in the 2013 report, said: “Children enjoy their time as they play and learn in a caring, supportive environment.

Effective leadership and management means that staff know their roles and responsibilities, so they are able to offer children good care and education.

“As a consequence, all children are well prepared to enter the school learning environment.”