A pre-school and dance troupe have been left homeless after being evicted by the Scout Association.

Mote Park Pre-School has been based at the hall in Oxford Road, Shepway, since January 2015, but bosses are now desperately scrabbling to find a new base or they will have to close.

A move to evict them in March was resisted, but Ellen Purvis, who founded the pre-school, has now been told the locks will be changed at the end of August.

She said: “I’m very angry. When they took us on they must have known this would be a long-term commitment.”

New Horizon Performing Arts also rented out the hall, but have had their agreement terminated and owner Reece Birkill says it’s likely the group will have to close.

“Everywhere else in the local area is either full or charges a much higher rent,” he explained.

Mrs Purvis said closing may be their only option, too, if they can’t find alternative premises in Shepway for the 45 children.

Parents are also fighting to keep the group running and more than 300 people have signed an online petition, including Emma Hopkins whose four-year-old son Toby goes there.

“When we found out – although Toby leaves this year to go to big school – we were devastated,” she said. Her son has global development delay and she’s been delighted with the care he’s received, adding:

“My boy’s gone from having to be prised off of me going into pre-school to going in happy and asking when he’s going next.”

A spokesman for the Scout Association said: “Following a change of volunteer leadership at the Mote Park Scout Group, the charity trustees undertook a review. At this time the group decided to end its relationship with Mote Park Pre School.”

No further details were revealed about its plans for the venue and the spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment further because of the legal process.