Parents and children have been left scrambling for schools places after plans for a new free school in east Twickenham have fallen through.

The Bellevue Place Educational Trust (BPET) had planned to open Richmond Bridge Primary in the St Margarets area in September, this year.

The trust now plans to open Deer Park School in Richmond in September and is inviting applications from Twickenham parents.

In an email to parents who registered an interest for Richmond Bridge Primary, a BPET spokesman committed to opening a school in the area within two years.

It said: “We have been overwhelmed with the support we have received for Richmond Bridge Primary school and the trust remains committed to opening a school in the St Margarets/east Twickenham area in 2016 or 2017.

“While this school will be subject to the approval of an application to the Department for Education in the next application round this spring, we will work very hard to deliver on the promises we have made to the community.”

But Liz Maund, who had planned to send her three-year-old daughter to Richmond Park Primary in September, described east Twickenham as a “black hole” for primary school places.

Ms Maund, 40, from Cambridge Park said: “They have had 10 years to sort this out - it is no surprise that a lot of children are being born. This little community is being destroyed and kids aren't getting a local school.

“I don’t understand how there are these black holes - it is getting ridiculous now, when you think how much they were looking to spend on the Gloriana boathouse and there are kids without schools.”

She said some children were being forced to repeat nursery or home school.

The preferred site for BPET was Ryde House, an office block in Richmond Road, but the building was acquired by Lidl in November.

Councillor Paul Hodgins, Richmond Council cabinet member for schools, said: “The council has worked very closely with BPET and the Education Funding Agency to secure a site for BPET's primary free school and we are delighted that Deer Park School will open in an area of the borough - Richmond - where demand for places has been, and continues to be, very high.”

Opposition spokesman for education Councillor Gareth Roberts: “Parents were led to believe that they would have a school in their local area and this has been cruelly snatched away.

“What they may not know is that late last year Ryde House was back on the table as an option as Lidl had expressed an interest in finding a way to provide a home for the school.

“Indeed I understand that a deal was close to being reached - the question which demands an answer is why this deal fell through.”

The Richmond Bridge Primary website still displayed a countdown clock to the school's opening day in September.