A nursing home was shut down at short notice by regulators yesterday after residents were found “at significant risk of harm” with some washed in cold water and not being helped to eat.

Merok Park care home in Banstead, Surrey, which had passed an inspection in January, was shut after inspectors found it was “dirty” and had an “overpowering” smell of urine last week, the Care Quality Commission said.

The team also discovered a lift had been broken for several weeks, leaving some patients unable to get downstairs.

Inspectors found the home was understaffed, while some workers had not received “relevant training,” were working up to 60 hours a week and had not been checked for criminal convictions.