Parents lose custody of toddler over smoky home

A two-year-old boy has been taken from his parents’ care in the UK after a health visitor highlighted concerns about the level of cigarette smoke at his home.

Health visitor Julie Allen told a family court judge she had not come across such a “smoky house” in her 10-year career. She described the boy and his father being surrounded by a “visible cloud of smoke” and said she had difficulty breathing.

Judge Louise Pemberton, who was also told of other concerns about the way the youngster was being cared for, concluded that he should be placed for adoption.