A woman who worked at the Jersey care home has told how she heard children talking about a punishment room.

Jackie Penfold, a housemaid at the Haut de la Garenne children's centre in the 1960s, has spoken about how she overheard two little girls whispering.

But the 63-year-old, who worked at the care home when she was 18, said she had no reason to suspect anything untoward because she never saw signs of mistreatment.

The home has been the centre of an abuse scandal since forensic teams found a child's skull on February 23.

About 160 people have come forward to claim they were sexually and physically abused there.

Mrs Penfold, who runs a guest house in Main Road, Fishbourne, near Chichester, went to work at the home with her friend Sandra O'Riordan.

She said: "It really was a happy, homely type of place and until I saw it on the news I would never have suspected anything was going on.

ìYou could never say it was a joyous place because the children were from broken families but they were run of the mill kids.

"I hadn't spoken to Sandra about Jersey for 40 years until the story broke on the news and then we sat down and tried to remember anything.

"There were only two incidents which happened throughout the year which I can recall which could be suspicious.

"On one occasion a couple of girls were sitting on the grass waiting to go down to the beach and one said to another, 'you cannot do that or you will be put in the punishment room'.

"On another occasion two girls who had been away returned with scratches and small cuts on their arms.

"Sandra asked what happened and she was told they had gone home and hurt themselves. It was the first time we had ever heard of self-harming.

"I just hope there wasn't anything going on whilst I was there but we didn't sleep at the home and it is most likely any abuse would have taken place at night."

Mother-of-two Mrs Penfold said she is surprised she has not been interviewed by Jersey police.

Detectives investigating the case say they have found a bricked up cellar at the care home which people claim offences were committed against them.

She said: "I didn't remember a cellar until recently when I recalled something at the back of the building which I would call a store room.

ìI saw the cellar on the TV and it was the same half door as the store room. I have a feeling it was the same thing."