A TAUNTON nursery is one of 19 nurseries across the country to ban glitter because of the "terrible damage" it does to the environment.

The colourful substance, which is used by children to add sparkle to baubles and Christmas cards is being banned at Tops Nurseries as they say the material is washed into the water system and can end up in the food chain. 

Cheryl Hadland, Managing Director of Tops Nurseries told the Press Association the chain have only recently become aware of the 'dangers' of glitter.

"You can see when the children are taking their bits of craft home and there's glitter on the cardboard, it blows off and into the air and on to the road, and it's only a tiny little bit, but we've got 3,000 children and they're all doing Christmas craft at the moment, so we've got glitter everywhere.

"There are 22,000 nurseries in the country, so if we're all getting through kilos and kilos of glitter, we're doing terrible damage."

Ms Hadland, who runs nurseries in Taunton, Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Wiltshire, said she "loved glitter" but was trying to source an alternative material from suppliers.

She said the decision has only just been made so parents may not be aware of it, but she insisted they are likely to be supportive.

"We did a survey a few months ago and 86% of our parents want us to be eco-sustainable. I think a lot of our parents really want us to do this."

Many parents who use her nurseries are millennials, she said, who are likely to want a sustainable education for their child.

Sue Kinsey from the Marine Conservation Society praised the "proactive approach".

"The majority of microplastics that get into the sea come from personal care products, household cleaners, tyre wear and other sources," she said.

"While glitter is only a small part of the microplastic load getting into watercourses and the sea, steps like these will all add up to something greater.

"This is a very proactive approach, amongst lots of things that the nursery is doing to help the environment, like using cloth aprons and not releasing balloons outdoors, and it is definitely possible to create a Christmas card to take home without using glitter."

Sue Learner, editor of daynurseries.co.uk, said: "We can only hope that by Cheryl Hadland raising awareness of the damage glitter can cause, other nursery owners and managers may be prompted to think about what decorative materials are being given to children and the potential impact it has on the environment."