A two-year-old boy tragically died after his family was forced to live in a damp, mouldy flat - and countless families still live in similar conditions.
Awaab Ishak would enjoy playing outside, freed from the conditions at home that blighted his health, and had celebrated his second birthday just a week before he died.
A medical link was established between the damp and mould and his death, and now an inquest into his death commences this morning.
His father, Faisal Abdullah, had complained about the mould in the family home before Awaab was even born, an earlier coroner's hearing was told.
The youngster had lived at the Ilminster block on the Freehold estate, in Rochdale, which is owned and managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).
The family had also asked to be moved into a new home, The MEN reported. Awaab suffered breathing difficulties prior to his death.
He was admitted to Royal Oldham Hospital where he was pronounced dead on December 21, 2020, the coroners’ court heard.
Details from Awaab's post-mortem, revealed at an earlier hearing at Rochdale Coroners' Court, that a medical link was clearly established between the damp and mould and his death.
Awaab and his family are far from the only families living on the Freehold estate to be affected by severe damp and mould.
Others have tried and failed to move home, with some even having letters from their GPs urging them to leave.
Some children had to be rushed to hospital with severe breathing issues - including four-month-old Gabriel, son of Vilma Lavres, who filmed the shocking moment he was struggling before attending hospital.
Families battled the problem while senior managers at RBH enjoyed huge 'fat cat' pay rises in recent years.
For little Awaab's family, the inquest is a chance to get answers on how his death could have possibly happened in the UK today.
Speaking ahead of the inquest, Mr Abdullah said: "We have a number of questions that we hope the inquest process will provide answers to.
"We want to ensure that any lessons to be learned are acted upon and that no other family has to go through this."
Awaab's inquest is expected to last nine days.
An RBH spokesperson said: "We continue to extend our condolences to the Abdullah family. Due to the live inquest hearing, we are legally unable to comment further at this time."
