A CHARFORD playgroup which provides low-cost nursery education has been forced to close because of red tape in the system that was supposed to fund it.

The privately-run Sugarbrook Pre-School Group has worked in the community for six years but in recent years has become swamped by Government paperwork.

With less and less time to devote to the children, the owners of the group at St Andrew's Church, in Lyttleton Road, felt they had no choice but to close.

Following the introduction of the Government's scheme for funding nursery places, checklists and reports have to be produced for every child to prove they are meeting the correct objectives.

Co-owner of the group Liz Balnaves said all the paperwork prevented them from following their method of responding to the needs of individual children.

Instead, they were tied to two objectives every day, many of which were centred around literacy and numeracy.

She said: "We have children from just two-and-a-half-years-old upwards and only one who is four. We don't think formal teaching is appropriate and we have never done.

"Top of our list has always been responding to the child's needs."

Sugarbrook Pre-School is the latest in a number of groups which have closed countywide for similar reasons according to the Pre-School Learning Alliance's regional training officer Sue Heard.

Mrs Balnaves said they would be glad to hear from anyone qualified to run a nursery, with a view to replacing the group.

Call (01527) 835835 for details.