Three-year-old Lydia Bishop dies from nursery accident

A toddler has died on her first day at York College nursery following a suspected playground accident...

13:37 19 September 2012

Flowers are being left at the nursery where Lydia Bishop, aged three from York, died on Monday, after what is thought to have been an accident where the toddler became tangled up with a rope in the outdoor play area of York College.

 

Her parents, who are believed to be in their twenties, used the College - which caters for teenaged students over 16 - for its child care facilities. It is understood Lydia was an only child.

 

As a result of the girl’s death, the nursery will remain closed for at least a week while investigations are carried out.

 

Police revealed the news regarding the playground accident by explaining the toddler had become entangled in a rope that was on a slide, and that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the situation.

 

Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Costello, of the North Yorkshire Police, told The Mirror: “We need to determine how this happened and whether it could have been prevented or foreseen.”

 

Reports claim there were attempts to save the girls life but she was pronounced dead at York District Hospital.

 

The Principal of York College, Dr Alison Birkinshaw, is said to be finding the death “devastating”. She is quoted by the BBC as saying: "Our thoughts are with the child's family and the children, families and staff at the York College nursery."

 

The outdoor facilities at the nursery are understood to be ‘superb’, with the 2009 Ofsted report stating good results. The day care was first opened five years ago and caters for children aged six weeks to five years old.