A NURSERY school has installed seven cameras so busy working parents can keep a watchful eye on their children via a computer or mobile phone.

The scheme at Bright Futures Day Nursery, West View, Clitheroe, is targeted at families who face the ‘heart wrenching moment of leaving young children at nursery’ to go to work.

Bosses said it would help parents feel more secure and ‘participate’ more in their children’s activities at nursery.

Some critics said the system was a ‘step too far’, although others said that while a ‘sign of the times’ there was no harm in it.

Bright Futures said it would be one of the first nurseries in the county to use the NuseryCam technology.

Cameras have been installed in each playroom and the garden.

The webcams will deliver colour images but no sound, streamed live to the NurseryCam website.

Bosses said all images were encrypted, protected by ‘multi-layered security measures’ and could only be accessed by parents with the correct passwords.

A nursery in Brockhall was the first to use a similar webcam service in 2003 using PCs.

Bright Futures’ technology will allow smartphones to use the service, bosses said.

Nusery boss Jasmine Cross said: “Parents can check in on their children, and because there’s been nurseries in the news over safety concerns, it protects our staff with accusations.”

Ms Cross said nursery staff did not have access to individual login details.

But she added: “I can tell who is watching and how long they’ve been doing it.

“Parents can only view the room their child is in, but will be able to see other children too.

“That is just how it works, but it is nice for them to see how their child is interacting.

“All the parents know we’ve had the cameras installed and we’ve carried out a question and answer survey. Only two parents had concerns over safety, but now we’ve spoken to them, they’re reassured and happy.

“I think this type of thing will become the norm in years to come, but we’re leading the field.”

The cameras will go live on July 1 as part of a £40,000 refurbishment.

Dr Melissa Kao, of camera manufacturer NurseryCam, said: “Good nurseries have nothing to hide. NurseryCam allows parents to be more involved in their children’s developments.”

But Daniel Hamilton of pressure group Big Brother Watch, said it was ‘sad’ the nursery has installed the equipment.

He said: “With each person in the UK being caught on CCTV an average of 300 times a day, it now appears that even young children can’t escape the surveillance state.

“Of course parents want their children to be safe, but monitoring their every movement goes a step too far.”

A spokeswoman for the National Day Nurseries Association said most of their member nurseries did not use such camera systems.

She said: “When nurseries ring for advice, we say they are better spending money on staff.

“There are a number of concerns with the cameras, and although the streams are password protected, they’re only as safe as who the parents give them to.

“Nurseries should have a really good relationship with parents and they should know exactly what the child has been doing that day anyway.

“There will be parents who might not want their child coming in shot and viewed by someone else’s family.”

Clitheroe councillor, Kevin Horkin, said it was a sign of the times and added: “Where children and parents are concerned, if it allays some fears then I can't see anything wrong with it."

Fifty eight pre-school children are currently registered at Bright Futures Day Nursery.

Places cost £150 per week for under two’s, and £137 per week for over twos.