PARENTS have been left with "no hope" after learning their children's nursery is set to close.
Dovers Green Playgroup needs to vacate its home of 14 years – on the Dovers Green School site in Woodhatch – by December this year after Surrey County Council and the school's governors gave notice on the lease.
The Mirror understands a growing pressure to create more school places has led to the decision.
After being informed last Monday, the nursery now has six months to find new premises or close.
Parents of the 40 children who are set to attend the group in September have reacted angrily to the decision.
Katie Bryant, whose daughter could be affected by the move, said: "Obviously, like the other parents who were sending their children there, we have been allocated a space. You are allocated spaces a year in advance.
"We have got no hope of finding anywhere else, all the spaces are allocated in April."
Miss Bryant, of Potters Way, Reigate added: "I just think it's so sad to lose something like this for the community. Every single one of my children have gone there; it's given them such a good start in life because it's such a good part of the community. I just think it's so sad for our kids and the kids of the future and it makes me disheartened with Dovers Green [school]."
The Rushetts Road playgroup is not the only nursery facing difficulties. St John's Nursery in Redhill also needs to vacate its premises in the near future due to a shortage of primary school places.
Donna Fuller, whose daughter currently attends Dovers Green Playgroup, said: "What I'm worried about is if they do close in December and haven't found new premises, you have got from December till September [2015] without a school.
"All of my children have gone there for the last 12 years. I wouldn't know where to start looking for another nursery.
"I'm quite aware that they [primary schools] have all been oversubscribed and there's no extra space, but I think they should let the children currently in there finish and then have no more inductions."
Angela Dodimead, one of the groups managers, said other nurseries would struggle to take the children in.
She said: "Nobody's got any spaces anywhere. If we do not carry on till December they [the children] will be left. If we carry on until December and the children get another place they will go and we will lose our funding. And obviously there's six staff out of jobs."
In a statement, the governors of Dovers Green School said: "After many years of owning and managing the independent playgroup in premises leased from the school, the owner is retiring. This led the governors to review the situation as we are currently expanding the school to take an extra 30 children this September.
"The playgroup is located in an outdated Portakabin which does not reflect the high standard of our other facilities. In agreement with Surrey County Council we are taking this opportunity to plan for the future and have given notice on the lease. Although it was a difficult decision we believe it is the best way to meet the needs of our growing school and the local community."
Last week we revealed how 12,000 primary school places need to be created in Surrey by 2018.
If anybody knows of premises suitable for Dovers Green Playgroup, please call 07789 888 673.
