A local authority has launched an investigation after a child wandered out of a council nursery.

The four-year-old boy's mother found him walking in a nearby street as she was on her way to pick him up from Carleton Nursery in Glenrothes, Fife, according to reports.

The child managed to open the door by climbing up to reach the magnetic release.

Fife Council has launched an investigation into the incident last week.

Jacqueline Price, acting head of service, said: "Last week a child managed to open the security door at one of our nurseries by climbing up to reach the magnetic release.

"The child had only been out of staff's sight for a short time, which is normal as children move between the garden and nursery rooms.

"We're very sorry for the distress this has caused the family.

"I'd like to reassure our nursery community that safety and security of our children is our top priority. We're reviewing the incident and nursery processes to make sure it cannot happen again.

"While there have been intermittent problems with the spring on the door, this was not a factor in last week's incident.

"Tradesmen have been to the nursery to repair the door but, once again, this is not linked to the unfortunate events of last week."

The incident reportedly happened on April 20.