AN angry mum who claims that health chiefs have axed school 'nit nurses' has enlisted the support of St Helens South MP Gerry Bermingham in her campaign to have the service restored.

Mother-of-three Heather Robertson says the nurse visits were stopped at the beginning of the school term even though there has been a marked increase in the cases of youngsters suffering from head lice over the last year.

She told Star: "My six-year-old daughter Juanita attends Sutton Manor Community School and I have lost count of the times she has come home with head lice. When it started spreading to my other children and myself though it was the last straw and I decided that something had to be done about it.

"I work as a parent-helper at the school which is how I got to hear that the nurse visits had been stopped by the local health authority. But it's a ridiculous decision - the children need them more than ever at the moment because of the increased spread of head lice."

Heather launched a petition, calling for the reinstatement of the nurse visits, which she handed out at most of the town's primary schools. Over the first two days alone she collected more than 500 signatures and now has close to 1,000. And Gerry Bermingham has pledged his support by calling on St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority to restore the nurses.

The MP's agent John Ireland said: "This is an important issue. Nurses have been visiting schools for years and although they are often jokingly referred to as 'Nitty Nora' because of their habit of checking children's hair for lice, they actually carry out a number of services, including providing a sympathetic ear for children who may have a problem and feel they have no one else to turn to. Gerry is supporting Heather's campaign wholeheartedly and has already written a letter to the health authority about the situation."

However, a spokesman for St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority denied that nurses were no longer making visits to the school. He said: "The services were changed back in 1995 but it's not true to say that primary schools no longer have school nurse visits. Every child now receives a thorough medical examination before starting a new school and any problems which are highlighted will be dealt with through further check-ups. In addition, drop-in centres manned by a named nurse have also been set up at schools on a weekly or fortnightly basis where youngsters worried about any health problems will get treatment and advice."

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