A member of staff at a children’s nursery near Oswestry has been arrested over an allegation involving the inappropriate handling of a young girl.

The staff member, who has not been named, has been suspended from Oswestry Day Nursery at Morton.

Parents of children at the nursery have received letters from Shropshire Council informing them of the inquiry.

The letter from Ruth Dean, head of the council’s Staysafe Service, said: “I can confirm that a member of staff has been suspended and there is an ongoing police and social services investigation which in its very early stages. At this time it concerns a single complaint involving one child whose parents are fully aware of the situation.

“An arrest has been made and the person has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.”

Parents have also received a letter from the mother of the child involved in the investigation. She wrote: “I have decided to write this letter to reassure parents that the nursery has acted instantly once this allegation was reported.

“I am very happy with the way the investigation has been approached and dealt with by both the police and the nursery. I wanted to put myself in the shoes of any parent who had received a letter advising them of the incident. I would obviously be shocked and worried like any parent would be.

“My daughter, as many children her age, is completely oblivious to what has happened and I am confident that the incident will soon be completely forgotten.”

Det Chief Insp Neil Jamieson said: “I can confirm that police are investigating an alleged incident at Oswestry Day Nursery.”