EVERY child in Hampshire is to get two free nursery terms - thanks to a £6 million government hand-out.

The cash will end the current lottery of places for three-year-olds that has angered parents across the county. Parents, councillors and MPs spoke out against Hampshire's distribution of funds for free pre-school places, announced last year, that was based on their address - not need.

But now the extra money promised by the government could end the system and ensure at least two free terms for three-year-olds from September.

The Daily Echo can reveal that the county councillors will be asked to approve the new plans at a meeting next month. Parents across Hampshire have reacted with delight to the news.

A Southampton council spokesperson said the city would not share in the cash bonanza, as it already received nursery funding from the government.

Vanessa Mercer, who helps run Squirrels pre-school in West Totton, described this as "fantastic".

"It is brilliant - the parents are delighted," she said. "They thought it was unfair before, but now it is going to cover all of them."

She said it would make all the difference to many hard-up parents.

Fareham Borough Council leader Sean Woodward, who spoke out against the previous arrangements, said the new rules were good news for parents.

"I certainly think it is better than the very divisive way it was done previously, and I'm sure it will be welcomed by all parents of three-year-olds," he said.

Under the old scheme, all three-year-olds in 51 areas seen as deprived, received free places, but they included better off areas such as Warsash, Wickham and Netley Marsh. New government statistics will give special funds to only five needy wards in the county, four in Havant and one in Aldershot. From September, children from those areas, aged three or above, could be entitled to an entire year of free nursery education.

Elsewhere in the county, all children of the same age could have a guaranteed two terms of free pre-school, starting from next January.

Chris Robinson, of the county's Early Years Education and Childcare Unit, said: "Priority will be given to the children in those five wards and then the proposal is that all children will be granted at least two terms of nursery grant before they go to school.

"Every child will have an equal opportunity for a nursery education experience."

She said the plans, drawn up at a meeting of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership last Friday, were the next stage towards the government's commitment to free nursery for every three-year-old by 2004.

"We need slightly over £10 million if every child in Hampshire is to have a free year of pre-school education," she said. "We want to reach that point very quickly and we are only constrained by the amount of money from the government."

The £6 million will be made available from April. No changes will take place until the start of the new academic year.