Nursery Children By Grenfell Tower Are Play-Acting The Fire, LBC Learns

21 July 2017, 07:40 | Updated: 21 July 2017, 08:04

Nursery workers based by Grenfell Tower have told LBC the children are so traumatised by the tragedy they have started play-acting the fire.

Sue Duggens and Luke Rosher from the nursery on Portobello Road say the three- and four-year olds haven't received any mental health support, despite losing a friend in the disaster.

One young girl from the nursery died in the Grenfell fire along with her parents.

And Ms Duggens said the youngsters need more support to cope with the tragedy.

She told LBC: "It has changed their play. It's heathy to see it happening, but a lot of the children have been acting out the fire.

"They've been dressing up as firemen and ambulance people. They've been pretending to be dead and pretending to pull each other out of fires.

"They've been using thei language they've been hearing - they've been evacuated, everywhere's burning, they need to put the fire out. Lots of that is coming out in their play."

Mr Rosher added: "These are 3-4-year-olds and they are acting fire. They are saying 'They're dead, we need to find them. We can't save them.

"They have a tent and they claim it's a building and they play that they are stuck in the building. They act it all the way through."

"We have two year olds who have questions - where are they? Where have they gone?

"And they have older siblings who talk about them, so they are starting to hear little pieces."