A DERBY school is being forced to remove outdoor decking for health and safety reasons – just 18 months after it was installed at a cost of £3,500.

Council officials said that Central Nursery School failed to employ a project advisor to ensure the outdoor area was built to correct health and safety standards.

Parents are unhappy because of the waste of money involved in the project, saying the decision is an example of "over the top" bureaucracy.

Derby City Council inspected the decking but without any drawings could not decide if it was sturdy enough to hold a large number of people.

A council spokesman said: "There are concerns that the decking could collapse under an appreciable weight.

"While it is in place, it is difficult to assess its stability and we did consider partially dismantling the structure to check, but that would have cost money.

"We recommended that because of the uncertainty surrounding the decking's sturdiness, it should be removed.

"There are risks attached to using it and if the school cannot guarantee people's safety then it should be out of use."

The Nuns Street school's governors considered the situation in July and decided that the decking should be taken down.

In the meantime, the decking has been out of use to pupils.

Head teacher Clare Cosser was not at the school when the decision to install the decking was taken and was unable to say which firm built the structure.

She said: "The decking has not been used during my time here in the last 12 months.

"A report on the structure showed the sides didn't conform to the expected standards and neither did the surface. Lessons have been learned and it won't happen again."

A parent, who asked not to be named, said: "This is a ridiculous situation and seems completely over the top in terms of bureaucracy. Just because there is nothing to say it is safe, it doesn't follow that it isn't.

"I think it's a shame after spending the money that the council won't change its mind and let it stay."

Another parent, who also asked not to be named, said: "Parents who want to keep the decking would be the first to shout if it collapsed and someone was seriously injured.

"It is a waste of money but no-one seems to be able to say whether it is safe or not, so it should go."

Councillor Les Allen, city council cabinet member for children and young people, said: "We work closely with school governors and heads to ensure that all building projects comply with planning and structural requirements.

"On this occasion, work has been carried out that does not meet requirements and therefore has to be removed in order to ensure everyone's safety.

"The school's governors have acted swiftly to deal with this situation, the decking has been placed out of bounds and is to be removed soon."