An elderly nun has denied children were beaten, force-fed and humiliated at a former care home.

The 92-year-old woman told an inquiry she had not witnessed any cruelty or struck any youngsters herself during her time working at Smyllum Park orphanage in Lanark.

She said she was based at the home from 1957 to 1964 and insisted it was a "happy place", not one where physical and emotional abuse took place.

The witness said it came as a "shock" to her to hear allegations emerge about the home and said she "wouldn't dream" of abusing children in her care.

"If I did, I would have it on my conscience to the end of my days," she told the hearing.

The public inquiry, sitting in Edinburgh, is continuing to hear evidence about life at Smyllum Park, which closed in the 1980s.

Former residents of the home have previously testified about receiving beatings and ill-treatment at the home, run by the nuns of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul.

The retired sister, who cannot be identified, gave evidence from behind a screen on Tuesday as the inquiry moved into hearing from those who worked at the institution.

Colin MacAulay QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked the witness about evidence that children who wet the bed would be humiliated and punished.

"No, that didn't happen and I didn't see it in any group either," she said.

"I never saw anybody doing that to a child."

She described the food as "adequate" and said the children were never hungry.

Asked about claims the residents would be force-fed food, she replied: "No, that never happened. I never heard about that at all."

The witness also denied children would have to queue up to have a bath in the same water, saying a "marvellous" showering system was used during her time there.

Asked about claims from former residents that Smyllum was an unhappy place where children lived in fear, the sister told the hearing: "I never experienced that and I can't understand why they said that because it was a happy place.

"They really had everything, they had lots of games and people coming to see them and all that kind of thing. This was a very happy place."

The nun also told the inquiry she did not see any child being hit or slapped by way of a punishment at the home.

"Did you witness any cruelty during your time at Smyllum?" asked Mr MacAulay.

"No, no," the sister replied.

Allegations made by previous witnesses about the nun herself were also put to her, including a claim she would carry out beatings when she "lost the rag".

She replied: "I did none of that. Nothing like that happened."

The nun then denied there was a regime of fear at the institution and agreed she would have considered actions such as force-feeding as abuse.

She went on to tell the hearing why she believes allegations of mistreatment have emerged.

She said: "I think the reason is that they (the residents) were all very hurt by things that happened to them in their childhood and being taken from their parents and as they got older they had to blame somebody for this."