Single mother 'let down' by Hounslow Council

Her son barely gets out of the house as a result but Miss Chambers's pleas to have him enrolled in nursery two days a week - to allow him to play and meet other children - have fallen on deaf ears.

The 36-year-old former care assistant started to get pain last year when she was pregnant with Taffarigh and it resulted in vascular necrosis of the hips, leaving her needing a hip replacement and unlikely to walk for a minimum of three years.

Her social worker, carer and even MP Alan Keen have backed her bid to get Taffarigh into a nursery but all the council has offered is four hours a week while she has psychotherapy to help her come to terms with her condition.

Miss Chambers said: "I'm a good mum and all I'm trying to do is the right thing by my son. He's stuck in the house with me 24/7 and that's totally unfair on him. He needs to be playing and having fun.

"For my sanity and for him to get a break from being here seven days a week he needs to get out and go to nursery. I believe there are lots of people in my situation and the social services are not helping us."

MP Alan Keen has made formal representations to the council on Miss Chambers's behalf but the social services department are refusing to back down.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "Cases such as these are usually much more complex then they first appear, and this one is no different. We are continuing to work with Miss Chambers to review her son's needs and to ensure that appropriate support can be provided by either the council or one of the wide range of other agencies with responsibilities in this area."