MORE under 5s are swearing in nurseries, a new study has revealed.

Experts fear young children are picking up on profanities in their day to day lives.

And they said the swear words they hear at home, in pop songs or on YouTube are making their way into the nursery.

Childcare expert and former Ofsted inspector John Warren said: "Swearing is definitely more accepted in today’s culture.

"This language is also quite happily used on giant billboards for children to view.

"We need to bring back the innocence in children’s lives, awe and wonder, the tooth fairy, Father Christmas, unicorns and fairies. Let them have fun with language."

Cheryl Hadland is the Managing Director of Tops Day Nurseries with branches in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Chaminster, Christchurch, Corfe Mullen, Lymington, Parkstone, Poole, Wareham and Wimborne.

She said: "I would agree that we are hearing more children swearing in a day nursery, and that it is generally more acceptable in society.

"However, we are also preparing young children for school and for learning that there are different rules in different locations, so learning to refrain from swearing at day nursery ‘because we don’t use that word here’ is acceptable in my opinion."

The survey was carried out by daynurseries.co.uk and editor Sue Learner said: "Despite it becoming more prevalent in society, it is still shocking and incongruous to hear profanities coming from the lips of a young child.

"There is a real power to swearing and when a small, seemingly innocent child swears, the words have even more resonance."