The trade magazine Nursery Management Today could face a claim for damages after publishing a picture of the wrong nursery to illustrate a story about an investigation into child abuse.

The July/August edition of the title, owned by Hawker Publications, included a picture of the wrong nursery – in which the nursery’s telephone number was clearly visible – with a page five story headlined "Nursery as centre of child abuse investigation".

The article referred to the Little Ted’s day nursery in Laira, Plymouth. However, the picture incorrectly published with the story was of the Little Ted’s day nursery in Rugby, Warwickshire.

When contacted by MediaGuardian.co.uk, the editor of Nursery Management Today, Alison Gordon, said: "Someone has made a very silly mistake – it would be unfair to name them but as editor I can assure you we will make it very, very clear in our next issue that a picture of the wrong Little Ted’s was used. Our apologies go out to Little Ted’s in Rugby.

"I am absolutely appalled by the mistake and have asked him to prepare an apology forthwith for the next publication."

On its website, Nursery Management Today has now published the following "important correction": "On Page 5 of the July/August issue of NMT magazine a picture of Little Ted’s Day Nursery in Rugby was accidentally used instead of the intended picture of Little Ted’s Day Nursery in Laira, Plymouth.

"NMT would like to confirm that the content of the accompanying article and the caption for the picture were correct. NMT magazine would like to apologise to Little Ted’s Day Nursery in Rugby for any unintended confusion this mistake may have caused."…