A BBC "exposé" about the treatment of children in private nurseries - including one in Greater Manchester - raised "a lot of anxiety about nothing", it was claimed today.
Three nurseries were under investigation after reporter Lizz Brown went undercover as a volunteer at the nurseries.
Education watchdog Ofsted stepped in after she allegedly found evidence of children being verbally abused, hygiene breaches and understaffing.
The nurseries involved were Bank House Day Nursery in Radcliffe; Little Treasures, in Stoke-on-Trent; and Petits Enfants, in Teddington, London.
Four members of staff have been sacked by Little Treasures, the BBC reported.
Frances Rivers, the owner of Bank House Day Nursery, denied any wrongdoing and said she was "disgusted" by the allegations.
Suggestions that the nursery was not vetting staff were "completely untrue" and the BBC reporter, who was working as a short-term volunteer, was supervised at all times, she claimed.
Complaints
Co-director and sister, Jenny Rivers, said she was also "disgusted" that the BBC was allowed to film children without obtaining consent from parents.
She said the nursery's complaints about the programme were in the hands of a solicitor - and that parents were backing the staff.
Bury council, which partly funds the nursery, defended the carers' treatment of children and accused the BBC of scaremongering in its programme, which is being screened tonight.
Tim Chamberlain, executive member for Health and Social Services, said: "Parents feel the BBC has raised a load of anxiety about nothing."
The BBC's Nurseries Undercover - The Real Story will claim that the reporter was allowed to work at the day nursery in Blackburn Street, Radcliffe, without even supplying a CV.
The documentary will show footage of carers shouting at children and claim staffing levels fell below the required minimum.
In one scene, a youngster less than two years old is called a "whinger" and it is claimed she was left to cry for 30 minutes before being comforted.
The police have not taken any action against the nursery, which is registered to take 74 children, or the two others featured in the programme.
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I have just watched the program on Nurseries on BBC 1, and I'm shocked. I'm a parent of a child who attends Bank House Nursery and I have found The Management and Staff very helpfull and friendly,my daughter has been going to Bank House for 4 years and is due to start school in september and she doesn't want to leave Bank house to go to School as she really likes spending her time there. It's such a shame for the Rivers family to go thorough an ordeal like this. I can say that if I ever have another child I will I would place my child in Bank House again.
ANNON DONT TALK CRAP. im sure if you had a bbc reporter knock on your door on a saturday morning asking if they could show you a video of your child being draged off a chair and across the room by his arm VERY aggresivley. you wold NOT be saying that you would send more of your children to that hole called bank house nursery because that is what happened to me and my wife. it was my child that was dragged off his chair just for making a fire engine noise. the rivers family havent gone through enough as far as im concerned, the place should have been shut down,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,NOTETO OTHERS DONT USE THE PLCE STAY AWAY.