Heartbroken family pay tribute after nursery death

The parents of a two-year-old boy, who died following a "fatal medical episode" at a Merseyside nursery, have said they are "devastated beyond words".

Jude Gerrard, of Bootle, was pronounced dead at hospital shortly after the incident at Early Learners Day Nursery, on Hawthorne Road, at around 12:35 GMT on 14 January.

Police said a postmortem has been conducted, but the cause of death has been withheld pending further reports.

In a statement, the family said: "We are absolutely heartbroken and devastated beyond words by this shocking and unexpected loss of the love of our lives.

"Our lives will never be the same again," the statement continued.

"He really was too good to be true and we can't believe he has been taken away from us like this, with something so preventable.

"We count ourselves so lucky we got to be his mummy and daddy for two and a half years, even though he should have had so much more time."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.