Parents to pay £5 a minute if they pick up children late

A nursery school is allegedly charging parents £5 a minute if they are late picking up their children.

The charges - equivalent to £300 an hour - have shocked parents at the Phoenix House Montessori nursery in Stamford Hill, north London.

The private nursery's fees have risen from £1 a minute in a bid to stop parents using the creche as a "free waiting room". Although the fines are intended to punish repeat offenders, parents who are caught up accidentally can end up paying heavily for the extra time.

Laura Boston, who has a toddler at the school, told a newspaper: "I nearly had a nervous breakdown on a bus when I got stuck in traffic after an accident and thought I was going to be really late. They put [the fees] up to a fiver a minute because people were turning up late."

The National Day Nurseries Association defended late fees, saying providing care after hours is expensive as at least two members of staff are needed to comply with regulations.

Phoenix House Montessori was unavailable for comment.