A nine-year-old disabled boy 'lost everything' when his room was flooded with wastewater - which has meant he cannot return home.
Ralphie Ellard suffers from severe cerebral palsy and has fought hard since he was born nine weeks prematurely in 2015.
At around 4am on Wednesday, Ralphie's parents, Sian and Dominic, awoke to find that Ralphie's ground-floor room had flooded, and the water level was rising.
Rainwater had mixed with wastewater and was coming up the floor drain in Ralphie's specially built bathroom, which is adjoined to his bedroom.
His parents acted quickly to remove Ralphie from the room and began to try and clear the water by putting it into the bath, however, much of the damage had already been done.
Mother Sian Ellard said: "I heard him stir on the monitor at around 4am. I got to his door and saw the floor was wet. When I entered I saw that the whole bedroom was full of water and shouted for help.
"You could see the water level rising. If it had happened a few hours earlier when he was still sedated who knows what would have happened."
"He has lost everything."
Virtually everything touched by the contaminated water has been condemned, from the floor to the toys and even the specialist bed Ralphie needs, which was purchased thanks to fundraising from the community.
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Following the flood, Ralphie has no option but to sleep on an air bed at his aunt's home.
He cannot return to his home until the special measures he requires are installed, including the padded floor and bed.
The family are looking for temporary accommodation so they can stay together, particularly over Christmas, but it is hard to find somewhere that also provides for Ralphie's needs.
Ralphie's parents are full-time carers for himself and one of his siblings. They are currently working with Aster and the council to try and find a solution, but say they may not have any solution in place before Christmas.
Sian added: "He wants to come home. He doesn't have a great understanding. All he probably knows is that he went to school and hasn't come back home after.
"He keeps asking to come home and we can't explain to him that he can't, which is quite difficult."
A go-fund-me has been set up by a family friend to help raise the money needed. Visit: gofundme.com/f/replace-ralphies-much-needed-bed-clothes-and-toys
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