Children lived in 'horrific' filthy house for years

Seven children were removed from the property which was "saturated" with urine and faeces

A family with seven children who lived in a filthy house with no food, running water, heating or electricity had been known to social services for a decade, a safeguarding review has revealed.

Police officers who removed the children in November 2023 described conditions in their faeces and urine-saturated Stockport home as "horrific" and the "worst they had seen in a very long time".

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were alerted on that occasion after a man told health professionals he had sexually abused one of the children and that her parents had known about it.

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review said Stockport Council and other agencies had "made changes" since the case came to light.

'Masses of rubbish'

The family, described as White British in the report, were kept anonymous to protect the privacy of the children.

The review revealed the children had been subjects of Team Around the Child (TAC) plans five times between 2014 and 2023, and on Child Protection Plans "under the category of neglect" on two occasions.

A third child protection conference was due to be held a few days after the sexual abuse came to light.

The review, commissioned by the Stockport Safeguarding Children Partnership, said when police entered the house they found it difficult to move around due to "masses of rubbish and hoarded materials".

Stockport Council made changes after the case was reviewed

Quoting the police report, the review said: "There was a bowl of old sick and urine, dogs were running around eating soiled nappies and a dog crate was full of faeces."

There was no functioning bath or shower, no food in the cupboards, fridge or freezer, and an only "partially" flushable toilet.

The report added: "The upstairs floorboards were saturated with faeces and urine. There was no bedding and faeces all over the children's beds."

Police said they believed the "harmful" conditions had not arisen over the short-term and were instead due to "long-term neglect".

Stockport Council's children's social care team visited the house in October 2023 and had referred the shocking conditions to a multi-agency hub, with further conferences due to take place later.

But the review found multiple troubling reports had been made over the previous 10 years including "bruising, physical chastisement, poor home conditions, lack of adult supervision, poor school attendance and domestic abuse".

'Dirty, hungry and tired'

The review found that the parents would make basic improvements when pressured by the authorities, but did not appear to understand the damage they were inflicting on their children.

The family were often ill with conditions like stomach bugs, which could have been related to the "unsanitary kitchen".

The report also said all of the children had "exceptionally poor dental hygiene" and often missed medical appointments.

School staff said the youngsters were often "hungry in school" and appeared to be "tired and lacking in sleep".

The primary school which the younger ones attended described them as frequently "late, dirty, unkempt, and odorous", with their condition getting worse.

"Their clothing was regularly dirty or inadequate, with the school providing coats in cold weather," the review said.

Local people would report concerns about the family to teachers, saying the children were often out late and unsupervised.

The parents were spoken to during the safeguarding review, with the mother admitting she was "ashamed" of her home and had an issue with hoarding, as well as poor mental health.

The father said he often found himself too tired to clean after work, and accepted the home was not "always good enough for the children".

The review, first published in January, said the children's social care service had undergone changes in Stockport, including allocating two social workers to large families and providing greater oversight in suspected cases of neglect, with more home visits.

Seven further recommendations, including improving Stockport's neglect strategy and its information gathering and sharing procedures, were made.

The report said the parents and the suspect accused of sexual abuse had been arrested.

The BBC has contacted GMP to ask about the outcome of their investigations.