Parents have been left “appalled and heartbroken” after a gun was found by police during a raid on a day nursery in Greater Manchester.
The discovery followed the sudden closure of Mini Fingers nursery, in Irlam, Salford on Monday, after council inspectors discovered rats in the building. In an email, the nursery manager attributed the closure “to the recent events and the business struggling”, adding she was “devastated”.
On Wednesday, acting on intelligence, police raided the premises and found a firearm, along with a “substantial quantity” of ammunition. Two men were arrested on suspicion of drug offences.
One parent said the incident had “completely destroyed” her trust in nursery settings.
The men, one in his 30s and another in his 50s, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the pair were taken into custody for questioning.
One parent, speaking anonymously, said: “When the email about the closure came in, I thought it was just a financial issue at first.
“Then you start hearing more and more about what’s been happening. It’s really shocking.”
The nursery was issued with a prohibition order by Salford Council’s environmental health department on Friday, 2 October after inspectors discovered vermin in the Liverpool Road building.
The rats are believed to have entered the property via a collapsed drain underneath the baby room.
In her email to parents after the inspection, the nursery manager stated the rats “had managed to burrow their way into the main building”.
The nursery surrendered its Ofsted registration earlier this week, according to Salford Council
“It does fill me with guilt,” said Chloe Malpus, a local mum whose two-year-old son attended the nursery.
“Because you’re handing your child into someone’s care believing they’ll be safe and well looked-after.”
She added: “My kid will no longer be attending any kind of nursery setting ever again.
“It has completely destroyed my trust.”
There is no suggestion from GMP that the gun uncovered at the premises is linked to nursery staff or management.