DOZENS of parents have been left without childcare for their youngsters after a pre-school announced it will close next week.

Leamington Road Pre-School in Blackburn shuts its doors for the final time on Thursday.

Bosses of the pre-school, based at Leamington Road Baptist Church Centre, Granville Road, said the closure was due to the sale of the building.

Managers said they had been told to vacate the building, which caters for up to 40 children, by January.

In a letter to parents, nursery managers said they had tried to find a new home.

The letter said: “We did look seriously into moving the pre-school to the Pavilion Building at Corporation Park but unfortunately this was not a feasible option financially.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all present and past parents for their support to find alternative premises.

“It has been an absolute pleasure in working with everyone over the years. We wish all the children and their families every success in finding suitable child care and for the future. The children will be missed greatly by all staff and especially by their key workers.”

One parent, who asked not to be named, said: “It was lovely, friendly and was local for young families. It will be missed dearly as all my children went there.”

At its last Ofsted inspection in 2008, the pre-school was rated as ‘good’.

In their report, Ofsted inspectors said: “Children's needs are very well met due to the sound knowledge base of the provider, resulting in the good work practice of staff. Activities and experiences for children keep them motivated and they make good progress in their learning.

“Secure partnerships with parents and outside agencies contribute to the sharing of information, which is used very well to promote all children's care and education.

"The provision has the capacity for continuous improvement because the provider has an accurate understanding of the key strengths within her provision and areas for improvement.

“A comments book is freely used by parents and contains many positive and glowing comments about staff with 'thank you' comments about how their child has progressed.”

Leamington Road Baptist Church was unavailable for comment.