Staff shut a Shropshire pre-school amid fears it had been hit by a swine flu outbreak after a number of staff members reported suffering symptoms.

Bosses were forced to shut the Oswestry Methodist Church Pre-school after a number of staff members reported in sick with symptoms similar to the illness.

However, all staff tested negative and the pre-school, which has 63 children, re-opened as normal yesterday.

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Staff members were checked by GPs for the virus and were give the all-clear, with doctors advising they were probably suffering from normal flu.

Caroline Bowers, deputy manager, said: “We had to close because so many staff said they were poorly.

“The symptoms were so similar to swine flu that as a precaution the pre-school was closed for the day.

“We also had to close because of the law about staff ratios. We simply didn’t have enough staff to run the pre-school.

“Everything is back to normal now, but we didn’t want to take any chances.”

In a notice on the pre-school front door, Julie Taylor, manager, said she closed the pre-school at 8.30am on Monday because of information about a suspected case of swine flu.

She said: “The children’s health and safety are always our main concern and following procedures without enough information at 8.30am to ensure health and safety, I was unprepared to risk infection.”

Elsewhere, dedicated swine flu units have been created at hospitals in the West Midlands.

The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital have, so far, not been affected.