‘We know mould and damp are killing children – the law MUST be changed now’

these being cold, damp and mould.

However, industry experts say the true scale of the problem is likely to be far greater due to systemic problems with the housing system and chronic under-reporting by tenants.

Nearly 31,000 children aged four and under are admitted to hospitals in England each year with conditions linked to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is known to be caused or exacerbated by damp and mould.

NHS figures show that nearly 80 per cent of these – or 24,485 babies and toddlers – develop acute bronchiolitis needing hospital treatment. Some studies suggest between 20 and 40 per cent of children who have bronchiolitis in their early years go on to develop asthma.

“As GPS, I know a lot of doctors including myself who are seeing mums that are depressed because they can’t make their children well – they can’t do anything about their housing that is the underlying cause for those symptoms,” added Dr Chauhan. “I’ve had a mum crying in front of me because she can’t do anything, she can’t get a new house or get repairs to her rented accommodation. It’s quite common to be asking these questions as a GP, do you have decent accommodation?

“Is it warm?

“But the country is trying to fix a social problem by prescribing chemicals. The real underlying cause is not being addressed.

“And it’s not a new problem. I see second and third generation residents suffering with these same health problems rooted in mouldy and damp housing.

“I’ve personally seen children suffering from these conditions, and the elderly, too, suffering from having a cold and damp home. Most respiratory conditions will flare up when you can’t heat houses, meaning that mould gets worse, and in winter you can’t really open windows for ventilation either.

“Unless you build more decent social housing, which will require significant investment, a lot of this won’t change. Unless you address the underlying problem, you won’t be able to ever fully deal with the symptoms presenting – sending these people to see the doctor is just putting sticky tape over the wounds.”

The doctor says that if the country “is serious”, a solution to this problem can be found. “When gas safety was a big issue, we were serious about it and introduced gas certificates for every accommodation.

“Short term, why couldn’t we have a mould check in houses every year as a statutory requirement, or have a certain amount of insulation required by law?

“Every year there needs to be an inspection to make sure homes are mould and damp-free. Mould doesn’t grow from floor to ceiling overnight and if you catch it early, the reason for the mould might be found and be able to be fixed – like a leaky roof or more insulation.

“We know this is killing children, why not make this a compulsory requirement?”