A two-year-old boy has been taken into care by the authorities over concerns that his parents’ smoking was making him ill.
The ruling was made a court in the city after a health visitor noted there was a “visible cloud of smoke” surrounding the toddler.
Julie Allen, the health official, said she not seen such a “smoky house” in her decade-long career, and that she had had difficulty breathing inside.
Judge Louise Pemberton was also told of a number of other concerns about the child’s care and concluded that he should be placed for adoption.
Neither the boy’s family nor the council that raised the concerns would be identified, she said, adding that the boy had breathing problems and needed an inhaler as a result.
In a written ruling, the judge said: “On entering the living room Allen described being able to see a visible cloud of smoke surrounding the father and [the boy.
“[The boy] was asleep on the sofa and had been unwell for some time by this point.
“Ms Allen described the room as ‘so smoke-entrenched that I had difficulty breathing’. She immediately expressed concern to the parents as to the impact of such smoke on [the boy], who had already been prescribed an inhaler within the previous month to help his breathing.
“The parents seemed unable both at that stage, and when the issue of smoking around [the boy] was raised by any other professional, to acknowledge or appreciate the concern and adapt their behaviour.”
Judge Pemberton added: “Ms Allen … had not come across such a smoky house in many years and never with such a poorly boy sleeping amidst the smoke.”