PARENTS are being fingerprinted at a nursery school as part of a drive to tighten security.

Only families and carers whose details are on a database can gain access to the Ally Bally Bee nursery in Blantyre, Lanarkshire.

The nursery, which looks after 55 children aged three months to five years, is one of the first in Scotland to install an American-style biometric fingerprint controlled entry system for parents.

Before youngsters join the day care centre, parents are asked to attend a pre-visit, where they place their thumb or finger on an electronic scanner.

The print is stored on a computer and each time the parent or carer goes into the nursery their finger is scanned to confirm their identity.

The computer stores a numerical pattern for that fingerprint, not a copy of the fingerprint.

And the system keeps a record of all access, so the nursery has a logbook of all the people that have gained access to the building. It also means children have no way of leaving the nursery unsupervised.

Bosses at the privately-run nursery say they paid thousands of pounds for the system - installed by NurseryCam Ltd - to provide maximum security to children, give parents peace of mind and take some pressure off staff.

But Glasgow MSP Bill Aitkens described the security move as a step too far.

He said: "The security of children is vitally important, but I think this is slightly over the top.

"Let's be sensible here. There is not a paedophile lurking round every corner and all this is doing is creating a culture of fear."

However, nursery owner Scott McClure, 35, a father of one, said: "We wanted to make sure we had the best possible security.

"We expected a few parents to be unhappy about it, but I have had no negative feedback.

"We now have more security than your average high street bank."

The nursery also has a webcam in place to allow parents to watch their children while at work.