Nursery worker held in porn swoop

A woman nursery worker remains in police custody after being arrested in connection with indecent images of children.Skip related content

The 39-year-old was held just before midnight on Monday after police swooped on her home in the Efford area of Plymouth and on the city's Little Teds nursery.

Little Teds, which caters for about 60 children, has been closed as part of the probe.

The woman's arrest followed that of a man from Littleborough, near Rochdale, who was charged on Tuesday with possessing and distributing indecent images. Colin Blanchard, 38, appeared at Trafford Magistrates' Court.

Police in Plymouth said computer equipment, including a disc containing images of "a serious nature," were among the items seized during its operation.

Officers have so far refused to confirm whether the images involved children at the nursery.

Chief Superintendent Jim Webster, head of Plymouth police, said the woman arrested was suspected of being "concerned in the distribution of child pornography images".

He said: "Of course it is a concern to all of us that she worked in a nursery. Our work today is to find out what has happened, where the images have come from, where they have been sent to, and any risk to anybody in Plymouth."

Little Teds operates from Laira Green Primary School and Laira United Church Hall.

Children in the nursery are aged between two and five, but youngsters up to 11 can attend breakfast and after-school clubs. Both units will remain closed for the time being, police said.