A children's nursery has been forced to close because of a lack of government funding, a hike in rent and not having enough cash to pay qualified staff.

The Hedgehogs pre-school in Wayfield, near Chatham, which opened a year ago, will shut on Friday.

Co-owner Laura Hollands says the school, which accommodates 52 children from babies to four-year-olds, was "no longer financially viable".

The former primary school teacher said: "Things came to a head and sadly we had to make a difficult decision.

"We are required to have a certain level of qualified staff. At the end of the day the pre-school government funding is not enough to cover salaries.

"And we are competing with the likes of Amazon and Aldi, where you don't need a qualification, get higher wages and don't have to have the responsibility of looking after children."

Laura and business partner Eve Poynter who set up the company in 2016, have managed to get little ones places in their three other sites across Medway.

She added: "We have also been able to strengthen our other pre-schools by transferring staff."

Parents were told of the sudden closure last Monday.

The women run nurseries at the head office in Hills Terrace, Chatham, in Hempstead Road, Hempstead, and New Road, Rochester.

They currently employ 44 staff.

Last year, a dream of opening a new venture in a dilapidated pub came to an end after what they described as a catalogue of red-tape hurdles.

They had hoped to welcome toddlers to a branch at the former Green Lion in Rainham High Street and had to let down families at the last minute, having forked out £5,000 on specialist surveys.

Initially, they say they were told their application submitted in October was favourable and they started enrolling little ones, stencilling their logo outside and decorating the inside.

But they were then confronted with more requirements to be met and their opening date was delayed.

The last hurdle, which came from the highways department, was the final straw.

They then took over the former Sacred Heart Church in Street End Road last year where mum-of-four Laura took on a young Ukranian nursery teacher who fled from her war-torn homeland.

Mariia Osadets, 21, was a guest at Laura's home in Bearsted, near Maidstone.