Batley and Spen MP urges people to ‘drive safely over the festive period’ after ‘shocking’ nursery crash

Little Rainbows Day Nursery, on Halifax Road, Liversedge, was struck by a silver vehicle on December 12, at around 5.50pm, causing extensive damage - both internally and externally - to the premises.

And Ms Leadbeater has offered her support to owners Joanne and Simon Alvy after visiting the nursery at the weekend.

She said: “I was shocked and saddened to learn that the nursery has been forced to close after being hit by a car, which has caused serious damage to the building. I visited the nursery in September and was extremely impressed with the quality of provision and wraparound care they offer to local families.

“I called to see Joanne again at the weekend and will do whatever I can to support her during the enforced closure in the aftermath of the incident.

“Obviously this is now a police matter but it does serve as a timely reminder of the issues faced by our community relating to road safety. I would urge everyone to drive safely over the festive period.

“Small businesses have had enough to contend with during the years of Covid. For those that are beginning to recover, an episode such as this can be both financially and emotionally devastating.

“Thankfully no child or staff member was injured, and I hope the nursery can get back to normal as soon as is possible.”

Joanne, who doesn’t expect the business to open until the new year, has thanked the local MP, as well as other nurseries, for their support and now hopes “something good” comes out of “the massive blow.”

“Kim has visited us previously and it shows that people care and want to help. It is lovely. I hope they can do some work to try and tackle the issues that have been pushed upon us as I know that Kim does a lot of work with the police.

“This is a really good example of how serious it can be. I want them to use this for their campaign and want something good to come out of it.

“We are lucky that some of the other local nurseries have offered temporary child care to some of the families. And all of the families have been incredibly supportive.”

Asked if she could imagine what the scene could have been like had the incident happened just a few minutes earlier, Joanne said:

“No, I can’t. It just makes me feel sick.”

A statement from West Yorkshire Police read: “At 6.01pm on Monday (December 12), police received a report of a vehicle colliding with a wall in Halifax Road, Liversedge. Officers attended and found that the collision had damaged the wall of a building. No injuries were reported. Structural engineers were notified, and the vehicle was recovered for examination.

"A 20-year-old man was arrested for driving over the prescribed limit and has since been released under investigation.”