Five children were treated for kidney failure in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, while nine other people were confirmed as having the potentially deadly E.coli bug.

All the cases were linked to the nursery, which has since been given a clean bill of health.

A spokesman for the nursery, Graham Robb, declined to say how many parents had dropped children off today, but said the company had seen great support from clients.

“It is very difficult to say how many children are here because it is not like a school, and different children come in at different times and on different days,” he said.

“Our staff are not focusing on the numbers, or how many may be boycotting us.”

He conceded some children had already been transferred to other Careshare nurseries and said parents might not want to disrupt them again by moving them back.

He said the nursery had staged an open day last week when around three- quarters of the parents turned up.

“They were very pleased with our proactive approach,” he said.

During the closure, the nursery underwent a thorough cleaning and video of its progress was posted on the website along with NHS Fife statements.

“Now the policy we introduced on E.coli is the toughest in Scotland,” Mr Robb said.

Careshare’s managing director Jonathan Bell said, “Parents and children can be confident that everything possible has been done to eradicate E.coli from the nursery.

“We have employed the UK’s top specialist cleaning company, ER Environmental, which has fumigated the nursery, cleaned every surface many times and removed and destroyed items ranging from toys to potted plants.

“Furthermore, all our staff have all been given refresher training in hygiene control.

“Most importantly, Careshare has introduced the toughest policy to prevent E.coli spread of any educational organisation in Scotland.

“Our previous policy was to follow official advice on the timing of any nursery closure.

“In relation to E.coli, which is a particular problem for Scotland, we have decided than any E.coli case suspected by the authorities will result in the temporary closure of any Careshare nursery until the matter has been thoroughly investigated.

“We are confident parents will welcome this policy and believe it is more robust than awaiting advice.”

Although the source of the outbreak was not identified, experts believe it was brought into the nursery by a child or adult and others were then infected via contact.

Health Protection Scotland, which examined the outbreak, said it had resulted from a strain of the infection which made it harder to identify.

Mr Bell added his best wishes for everyone affected by the outbreak.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the children who were unwell,” he said.

“We wish them a continued recovery. I would also like to thank our parents, who have been extremely supportive.”