Sheffield doctor's concern over mould and damp in toddler's home

The Nishat family live in a council-owned flat on Exeter Place, Sheffield

A doctor has called for an "urgent assessment" of a family's flat over concerns their two-year-old son has developed breathing problems due to damp and mould.

The doctor, from Sheffield Children's Hospital, has written to the city council calling for an inspection.

The boy's father, Naqib Nishat, said the mould was so bad the family of four had to sleep in the living room.

The council said it was aware of the issue and would work to rehouse them.

In his letter, the Sheffield Children's general paediatric doctor said the boy, Noah, had "itchy skin and a blocked nose and difficulty with breathing at night".

The doctor added that he "suspected" the symptoms were "either directly due to the mould and damp or due to an allergy to the mould".

"I would be grateful if their property could be assessed urgently," he said.

In a separate letter to the Nishat family and to their GP, the doctor noted that Noah had asthma, a cough, a runny nose and was vomiting when eating.

He said: "Parents showed me photos of the house and there was mould everywhere, all over the walls and all over the bed/bedding.

"They tell me that Noah is now sleeping on a table away from the bed as the bed is full of mould and there is very bad damp and the smell is overwhelming."

Mr Nishat said: "It is shameful, to be honest.

"We are all sleeping in this living room. It is ridiculous to sleep on the floor, with two kids, four people in one tiny room.

"My wife is so worried and she is most often crying because of these two young boys."

At the scene - Emma Glasbey, Home & Social Affairs Correspondent, BBC Look North

The Sheffield council flat which is home to the Nishat family feels small, cramped and difficult to move around. There's one bedroom for mum, dad, their two-year-old and their baby.

As you open the door to the bedroom, the overwhelming smell of damp hits you immediately. It's not a room you want to stay in for long.

The walls have been painted recently so the mould isn't as obvious, but the mattress, sheets and pillows are covered in it.

It's hard to understand how the family of four is sleeping in the living room. There's one sofa and not much floor space.

As I look around, the two-year-old sometimes coughs. There are allergy medicines on the table alongside letters from the Children's Hospital about the boy's breathing problems.

It's a stark reminder of what happened to Awaab Ishak, also two, from Rochdale, who died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould.

For the Nishat family, bringing up their children here is a constant worry.

Mould has appeared on the family's bedding

Janet Sharpe, director of housing and neighbourhood services at Sheffield City Council, said: "We have been in touch with the tenant and his family and we are continuing to work on a solution for them long-term.

"We will be discussing with them their rehousing options."

Ms Sharpe added: "Damp and mould is a problem we have increasingly seen in our properties this past year and we have developed a task force to tackle the issue city-wide.

"We are encouraging all council tenants to contact us if they are having issues with this. Our repairs service is treating all reports of damp and mould as a priority and a considerable amount of work has taken place on this issue by them."

There were currently 21,983 applicants for council housing on the council's register, and 985 with a priority award, Ms Sharpe said.

The authority had a stock of about 39,000 homes and around 600 of those had outstanding reports of damp and mould which were "being progressed as a priority with our dedicated team", she added.

Dr Jeff Perring, medical director at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, said: "At Sheffield Children's, we look at every aspect of a child's life to make sure we're supporting them in the best way we can with their health.

"As part of this, if we're made aware of any issues in their life which may impact their health, such as problems with housing, we will liaise with partner organisations who can best help them."

Sheffield City Council said it was looking at other housing options for the family