PARENTS have pleaded with council bosses to save a children's nursery earmarked for closure.

A petition has been launched to save Clarence Day Nursery, in Newton Aycliffe.

Durham County Council has decided to close the nursery in the summer as it needs to save more than £800,000 from its children and young people's services budget.

But Alyson Nicholson has collected about 60 names on a petition against the plan.

Miss Nicholson's two-year-old son, Liam, attends the nursery and her three year-old daughter, Laura, spent last year there.

She said: "Clarence is wonderful. The staff are great and have the skills and patience to support children with special needs more than anywhere else.

"The kids that go are referred by health or social workers as part of the care plan.

"Both Liam and Laura have speech and language difficulties and going to Clarence has been the best thing for them before moving to mainstream nursery, then school."

"Pupil numbers have fallen because of the threat of closure but it is important for kids today and in the future that it survives."

The council says the nursery has spaces for 25 children, but there are only 11 on the roll at present.

It also feels that it is in the wrong location, as it was originally built to offer day care provision for parents working on Aycliffe Industrial Estate.

The council has promised to work with parents to identify different ways to meet their children's needs when the nursery closes.

A spokesman said: "While we will be happy to receive the parents' petition and consider the points they make, any move to re-consider the nursery's future would be a matter for the council's cabinet.

"If it was to remain open, it would necessarily be at the expense of some other area of children and young people's service provision."