A children's nursery has taken the potentially risky step of installing 10 web-cameras to let anxious parents peep at their offspring from computers at work.

The password-accessed viewing has been taken up by almost all the clients of the Kinder Castle nursery in Huddersfield, despite the possible angst that might ensue if the camera happens to catch one child bopping another or a little darling bursting into tears.

The cameras are trained on areas where the children are playing, snoozing or eating, and each user is allowed to see only the room being used by their own daughter or son.

Most of the 40 places are taken by Huddersfield University staff and business commuters to Leeds and Manchester, for whom computer use at work is standard.

"We've installed the system as another way of reassuring parents that their children are fine," said Catherine Wright, one of the staff at the nursery.

"That way, they can get on with their work more efficiently, knowing the children are OK and that they can always have another look when they like."

Parental computers have been busily logging on to the system.

The children cannot peep back - the sight of absent parents would be a sure cause of tears.

But a television monitor of the nursery lobby is sometimes used to ease any tantrums at dropping-off time by letting parents and toddlers wave goodbye a second time on screen.