A rat infestation has forced a pre-school to close and throw out around £18,000-worth of kit.

Willington Pre-School had to shut down after staff discovered the rodents had taken over the storage unit where staff keep the play equipment.

Staff have been told that they have to get rid of it all for health and safety reasons, and are now appealing to the public for donations so they can get up and running again.

Pre-school vice-chairman Karen Clark said: "We're devastated about this.
"At the moment we have no play equipment at all so there was no way we could stay open.

"It's a real setback for us, but it's something that is just totally out of our control. Our main concern is the health and safety of the kids that are here, so we really had no choice but to get rid of all the equipment."

The pre-school has informed parents it will be closed for at least one week but it may be longer.

Anyone who can help, or make a donation of cash or equipment, can call 07972 148085.