Sudden closure of Leyland nursery

Playpad Tots in Tomlinson Road issued a statement to parents stating the business was "closing permanently due to ill health" on October 4.

It continued: "You will be contacted individually with regards to any refunds that are due. We are extremely sorry for any inconvenience caused."

One mum, who asked not to be named, said she has been able to claim £658 back through the bank, but says others are still waiting.

She said: "On Friday, September 30 we got the monthly invoice for October, which I paid in full.

"When we all went to drop our children off, we discovered it wasn't open due to staff sickness.

"I thought ‘fair enough, these things happen’, but then on the Monday and Tuesday, the same thing happened. Then we got the message on the app."

The mum said that 10-12 families have been affected, and it the sudden closure has left them having to take time off work and out-of-pocket as they pay for new nursery costs while waiting for refunds.

She claims that nobody from the nursery is responding to emails or phonecalls to answer questions. The Post has contacted Playpad Tots, but has also been unable to get a response.

The mum added: "It's not only about the money either. The children have now all been broken up and they're having to go to new, unfamiliar nurseries with people they don't know."

Playpad Zone is unaffected and is still open

Playpad Zone, a play centre next to the nursery, is a separate business and is not affected in anyway.

A statement on their Facebook page says: "It (h)as been brought to our attention, that rumours and untrue information is being circulated through social media.

"We are writing this to let you all know that The Playpad Zone Ltd, will still be open to the public and we are not going anywhere.

"The Playpad Zone and Playpad Tots are two separate business entities, the closure of Playpad Tots in no way effects the Playpad Zone.

"The current management team and staff cannot answer any questions in regards to Playpad Tots. Please direct any queries to the Playpad Tots own page."