A toddler ate rat poisoning after gaining access to a closed nursery play area, a report has found.
Katrina Williamson and David Adams' were left terrified after three-year-old son Aaron was rushed to hospital after coming into contact with the hazardous substance.
The incident happened at the Firtrees Nursery in Motherwell, Lanarkshire.
A probe by the Care Inspectorate revealed the youngster found the rodent pellets in the outdoor play area and was taken to the hospital after telling his dad he had eaten 'lots'.
Rats had earlier been spotted in the playground on May 6 and a pest control company attended five days later.
Traps were set and, although a makeshift cordon had been created, the investigation found the traps were not secured.
It was concluded Aaron entered the area unnoticed by staff and gained access to one of the traps.
Miss Williamson claimed she was not properly contacted by the nursery about the incident and when the boy's father arrived to collect him he was unaware of any issues.
He was told his son had had a 'good day' at the centre but was then approached by senior staff who alerted him to the incident before Aaron was taken to hospital for treatment.
Hospital doctors told the couple Aaron's system had absorbed the poison before he was sent home after a blood test showed no significant changes.
A second blood test indicated his blood was thinning and he was taken for vitamin K infusions and monitored until his blood returned to normal.
The nursery told her the harmful substance was Formula B, which contains anticoagulant, or blood thinner.
A Care Inspectorate report upheld four complaints against Firtrees.
They ruled a safe environment was not provided and Aaron's parents and not all staff were timeously informed he had accessed a hazardous substance.
They also said medical advice and assistance was not sought by staff and his parents were not provided with sufficient information.
A fifth complaint that inaccurate information was shared in relation to the incident was not upheld.
Miss Williamson told the BBC: "The Care Inspectorate report said another child found Aaron and notified staff who found him with blue pellets in his hands.
"They said there had been some wildlife in the garden - rats - and that they had traps put down.
"The area had been fenced off but Aaron had managed to get to the poison and get it in his hands.
"They had washed and sanitised his hands. But when his dad asked him if he had eaten any, he said 'lots'."
Aaron was off nursery for three months and is now being reintroduced to a different nursery.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, she added: "I was terrified, bringing him home and told to watch out for bleeding from his eyes, ears, mouth, nose and nappy and any unusual bruising.
"We didn't want him to go to sleep in case he didn't wake up. We stayed up with him all night. I researched the poison and discovered rat poison might take days to start acting, and that it could be deadly, so I took him back to hospital the next day.
"It has been nerve-wracking trusting another nursery and Aaron needed extra support to settle in.
"Now we are left hoping to God he is fine but we have it in the back of our minds that something might happen."
Firtrees, based within Motherwell College in Enterprise Way, opened in 1996 and is part of a group of four nurseries operated by Amcol Scotland Ltd.
The 282-place facility runs day care and after school clubs and works in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council.
A spokesman for Firtrees said they were unable to comment on the report due to ongoing investigations.
North Lanarkshire Council said: "This was clearly a serious incident. We expect all our early learning and childcare settings including partner nurseries to provide the highest standards of care and support to our children and families.
"We have worked closely with the nursery to develop an action plan and will continue to work with them to ensure that all areas identified are implemented and monitored robustly as a matter of priority."
Police Scotland said they had not received a report into the incident.
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