Children have been put at risk at a nursery in Aberdeenshire, according to Scotland's care watchdog.

Peek-a-Boo Nursery in Fraserburgh was given the worst possible grade in three out of four categories by the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection in February.

Inspectors said carers were familiar with the "basic care and support needs" of most children but reported their knowledge of youngsters with more complex needs was lacking.

They said: "For children with needs such as medical conditions or allergies, staff had insufficient knowledge and understanding of how to meet their needs.

"This placed children's health at potential risk. Insufficient information was gathered and recorded to allow staff to gain the knowledge they required to keep children safe.

"Effective systems were not in place to safeguard and protect children, which placed them at risk."

The Care Inspectorate said staff "failed to follow national guidelines and their own procedures" when child protection concerns were raised. They were also not recorded properly.

In its report on the inspection, the watchdog set out 13 requirements for improvement at the nursery.

A spokeswoman for Peek-a-Boo said children are its "sole priority" and said the nursery will "fully comply" with the Care Inspectorate's requirements.

"In the last four weeks we have put in place key requirements outlined by the Care Inspectorate and have brought forward an ongoing investment to introduce new play, learning, sensory and activity areas to improve the experience of all children who attend the nursery," she said.

"We are encouraged that the Care Inspectorate report acknowledges our children are happy, confident and had formed good relationships with staff who created a warm and caring environment for children and parents.

"However, we fully accept responsibility that in areas such as child protection procedures, staff training, development and quality assurance, that we can improve our standards and that is already well in progress."