Parents who send their children to nursery will soon be able to check up on them via the internet, thanks to a Sussex businesswoman.

CBabiesafe runs a webcam so parents can log in and look up their youngsters at any time.

Within months, the technology will have been perfected to allow parents to chat to their children from the office.

It is thought to be the first nursery in Sussex, and possibly the world, to offer such a service.

CBabiesafe is the brainchild of Phillipa Stephen-Martin, who came up with the idea after years of caring for her own daughter Mia, ten.

She said: "I became a single parent so I had all the usual problems of childcare. I was nervous about leaving my daughter and I didn't want to miss out on what she was doing."

Eighteen months ago, Phillipa decided it was time to go into business and came up with the idea of a nursery where parents could be part of their children's day.

She said: "I was nervous but luckily my bank manager and my accountant thought it was a brilliant idea and I got the money to do it. "

Phillipa bought an Edwardian house in Palmeira Avenue, Hove. She spent £10,000 installing web cameras with the help of Paolo Vecchi, of Brighton firm Applied Technology Systems.

Paolo said: "In a situation like this, safety comes first, so every parent at the nursery is given a PIN number and a password before they can log in.

"The system is sophisticated enough to spot any irregularities. As well as being able to see their children, anyone with a multimedia PC will be able to talk to their child from their office."

Parents can log on for 20 minutes at a time, any number of times per day, to see their child being fed, check when they are asleep or watch them playing.

CBabiesafe is holding an open day on Friday, February 22, and aims to open shortly afterwards.

Prospective clients can take a virtual tour of the nursery at www.Cbabiesafe.com.

Details are available from Phillipa on 01273 770441 or 07860 783872.