Home "too cold" for hole-in-heart baby

3.44.49pm GMT Mon 6th Nov 2006

A Mum fears her eight-month tot just out of intensive care is at risk because her council home has only two radiators.

Alison Gallagher, 42, says her son Remi - who was born with a hole in the heart - needs to be in surroundings of between 18 and 20 degrees centigrade.

But she says her house, in Baslow Drive, Lenton Abbey, is only at 15 degrees eight weeks after she first phoned Nottingham City Homes to ask for more radiators.

She has a radiator in her bathroom, one in her kitchen and a gas fire downstairs.

"It is not ideal for the baby," said Alison, a mum of two.

"I am very worried about Remi's health.

"My partner is sleeping downstairs with Remi by the gas fire to keep him warm.

"In the daytime we have to go to my mum's where it is warm."

The house meets criteria and Nottingham City Homes does not have to fit more radiators until 2010 to meet its Decent Homes programme.

The company says it will look at providing extra heating for the bedrooms, but Alison wants it to fit more radiators now to help Remi's health.

He went into intensive care for observation because he was not eating and had a low body temperature.

Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey councillor Tony Sutton got involved in her case after Alison contacted him.

"She had transferred [house] and said to me she should have looked at it more closely before she took the transfer," he said.

"She did not realise until she went in that it only had two radiators. She was not sure whether that was legally permissible.

"I have asked on her behalf."

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Homes said: "Upgrading the properties to full central heating is part of the work included in the Decent Homes programme but we can provide some additional heating in the bedrooms because of the exceptional family circumstances."

(This article appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post, 6th November 2006 www.thisisnottingham.co.uk)