The parents of a two-year-old boy are suing a nursery after staff allegedly used duct-tape to restrain their son during nap time.

A former employee of the Heart2Heart daycare centre in Texas took a widely-circulated picture showing a small child wrapped in a blanket and apparently bound to a mat by duct-tape.

The employee then gave it to parents Kristi and Brad Galbraith, who are suing the centre for negligence, fraud, breach of contract and injury to a child. The couple are seeking an undisclosed sum in damages.

The lawsuit also claims children were limited to "two water breaks a day" and given just seconds to hold cups and take a sip.

Jeffrey Rasansky, the lawyer representing the couple, told The Independent: “Teachers didn’t want to have to change their diapers.

“There was also one incident where a child was left unattended and unsupervised in a room during lunch because he cried excessively for his father. His lunch was handed out to other kids instead."

Ms Galbraith described being she was left “angry and shocked” by the images. “I felt an extreme amount of guilt about how I could have chosen a place that would do this to my child," she told NBC News.

In a statement released in June, the centre said: "The staff and I have the best interest of the children and parents as our highest priority."

It said it will “cooperate fully with any investigation” but has released no further comment. The centre remains open.