A reporter’s search for a dead toddler’s family has uncovered a string of cases of children who have fallen seriously ill in similar housing conditions.

Manchester Evening News journalist Stephen Topping has spent the past two months trying to find the family of Awaab Ishak after attending a pre-inquest review into the child’s death.

After hearing at Rochdale Coroners’ Court that a post-mortem examination suggested that environmental lung exposure led to Awaab’s death, Stephen set out to find his relatives.

Although he has so far been unable to contact them, his enquiries around Rochdale’s Freehold estate have instead exposed how at least six other households have suffered repeated problems with damp and mould – including three families who claim that their children were hospitalised with breathing difficulties between 2014 and 2020.

Stephen knocked on all 36 doors on the block where Awaab lived and died, as well as dozens more on other blocks on the estate, as part of his investigation.

The MEN splashed on his findings yesterday, pictured above.

In a first-person piece about his investigation, which began in June, Stephen wrote: “I continued making calls and face-to-face visits with different people in Rochdale who I hoped might be aware of Awaab’s story or knew the family.

“Each conversation would follow a similar pattern. I’d tell them what I knew about Awaab and his family, the other person would express their shock and say how sad the situation is, before telling me they hadn’t known about it before this conversation.”

The hearing Stephen attended heard how the Ishak family had been complaining to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing over the state of their upstairs flat for years – even before their son was born.

He wrote “After several days of door knocking on the estate, more families began to come forward with their experience. Leisy Cassandry, living at Hartlebury, told me about her relatives living elsewhere on the estate – Anacleto and Marlene Cassandra, with their two young daughters, Yasmine and Zoe. Leisy told me the family would battle mould every year and were constantly keep trying to stay on top of it.

“The family agreed to chat to me. They spoke of their stubborn battles – with the council for a new home, with RBH for repairs, and with the mould itself. They said the problem was at its worst in the winter, but even in a dry July – with two dehumidifiers at work and all windows open – the problem was still bad enough.”

Stephen added: “The search for Awaab’s family was proving difficult. Of all the people contacted in Rochdale, just one knew of Awaab’s story. She knew the family had left the estate and we learned that they could have moved to Manchester.

“I took the same steps to try and find them in the north’s biggest city, but it ultimately proved to be a needle in a haystack scenario. Eventually, we were informed the family had instructed a legal firm for Awaab’s inquest and they did not wish to comment at this time.

“It seems that Awaab’s family battled the problems with mould on their own. Others on the Freehold estate were not aware of the trauma unfolding in their Ilminster home.

“News of the tragedy had not spread in local mosques and community centres. Awaab was at risk of becoming the forgotten boy.”

Following the investigation, RBH told the MEN its team will inspect every one of the 376 homes on Freehold.

Its chief executive Gareth Swarbrick said: “We are saddened to hear about the issues raised by residents in this piece. We have made direct contact with all the residents to look at how we can support them and to ensure their homes are at the standard we would wish to see.

“We have established a dedicated, specialist team who have started to visit every home in this neighbourhood to check the current condition of all of the 376 homes. We expect this to be completed by early September.

“Any issues relating to damp and mould will be dealt with as a priority. Actions could include installation of Positive Input Ventilation units and humidity sensors as well as three stage anti-mould treatments.”