AN angry Galashiels mum is warning other parents to check their free childcare provision after her compliant to the government watchdog was upheld.

Scottish Borders Council currently funds 600 hours of free childcare for all three- and four-year-olds as well as eligible two-year-olds.

And an increase in the Scottish Government initiative to 1,140 hours is being rolled out across the region.

But Olena Fielding is warning parents to be on guard over their free hours and how they are billed.

Ms Fielding took her issues over unclear charging at the Old Nursery in Melrose to the Care Inspectorate.

And the reporter tasked with investigating the issue has ordered the facility to revise its invoices so parents can start to understand them.

Olena told us: "I had to regularly query the bills that were being presented to me and they regularly had to be changed because of mistakes.

"The hours my child attended the Old Station Nursery should have been funded by the council yet I was still being billed for some of them."

An invoice from February which Ms Fielding presented as evidence was reduced from an initial monthly charge of £89.35 to £64.60 - and when it was queried again through Scottish Borders Council it was reduced to £8.25.

The mum-of-one asked the local authority's Early Years department to investigate the billing process at the Old Station Nursery.

But they refused and Ms Fielding took her complaint to the Care Inspectorate.

She added: "I was really angry with the way I was being treated by the management at the Old Station Nursery and the council said they couldn't investigate because it was a private business.

"My child is now at a nursery in Galashiels and I am very happy with the service and how the charging works, but not all childcare facilities are like this.

"Parents should check what they are paying for."

The Care Inspectorate upheld Ms Fielding's complaint that the Old Station Nursery was 'not providing clear information about the costs of the services'.

The investigating officer stated: "The manager told us that the invoice template had been revised at the complainant's request,.

"However, we could not see any significant improvement in the lay out."

Zara Hedley, owner of the Old Station Nursery, didn't return our calls.