THE family of a baby suffering from a rare medical condition affecting the shape of his head are raising money for a special helmet which is not available on the NHS.

Six months-old Leighton James Brown suffers from two conditions known as plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, commonly known as 'flat head syndrome' or 'moulding'.

His parents, Matthew Bowditch, 21, and Keegan Brown, 19, of Tivoli Place, Bishop Auckland were first alerted to their son's condition shortly after birth when they noticed one side of his head was flatter than the other.

Following a routine appointment with their health visitor, they were advised to see a consultant at Bishop Auckland hospital which provided ongoing treatment to relieve the pressure on the inside of his skull.

The hospital also told the young couple the condition would not improve without corrective treatment and a special helmet.

However, the family were then shocked to learn the head-guard – called a Timband and costing almost £2,000 - was not available on the NHS.

They were also told they would need to have it fitted before the child was one year-old for it to be effective.

Mr Bowditch said: “The helmet needs to be fitted while his head is still soft. When he gets older his head will start to harden and it won't work as well.”

Once the caring couple realised the clock was ticking, they decided to raise the £2,000 themselves and have raised £120 so far.

They are now attending regular appointments at Coxhoe with Leeds-based company, Technology in Motion after Miss Brown's grandfather paid the £500 deposit from his pension.

Miss Brown said: "We are worried this could affect his development as he gets older. We also think he might get bullied once he starts school because of this."

Mr Bowditch added: "There's funding for alcoholics and drug addicts but there's none to help Leighton and he’s done nothing wrong."

The unemployed couple will need to raise a further three instalments of £500 before the helmet is due to be fitted on August 6.

Sandie Waddell, a clinician with Technology in Motion at Coxhoe, said the number of babies suffering from these conditions has risen since 1995 when the NHS advised sleeping them on their backs to avoid sudden infant death syndrome.

It has since changed its advice to parents.

The NHS choices website states: “The use of helmets and headbands is controversial. This is because there's not enough evidence to show whether a helmet or headband will make any improvement to the shape of your baby's head.”

Instead, the NHS advises placing babies on their fronts, varying what babies sit in, changing positions of toys and ensuring he/she moves his head in different directions.

To contribute to Leighton James Brown’s Timband fund go to: gofundme.com/ZzW64c2t .