An investigation has been started by Bradford Council after a disabled toddler suffered an electric shock at his family’s privately-rented home.

Three-year-old Jay Jay Sharkey was “lucky to be alive” after he was thrown across the room after accidentally touching bare wires hanging from a recently-installed gas boiler, said his father, John.

Mr Sharkey said his son was playing at the house in Stonegate Road, Queensbury, when the incident happened leaving him needing medical treatment. Jay Jay was born with a diaphragmatic hernia, a condition where a defect in the diaphragm causes the intestines to push into the chest. His father said he has had several operations and has a weak heart.

“I took Jay Jay to the GP who said that the shock could have killed him,” said Mr Sharkey.

A spokesman for the Council’s Environmental Health team confirmed it had assisted Mr Sharkey in disconnecting the boiler and was now investigating the incident. Transco, which is responsible for the gas pipe network, was also called out to ensure there were no leaks and the property was safe.

Officers were now awaiting documents to be provided by the landlord of the property, Adrian Clegg, to prove that the boiler was fitted by a registered gas engineer, added the spokesman.

Mr Sharkey said that his son was recovering well but he complained that the conditions they were living in were not fit for a child.

He said: “We had no hot water for seven weeks before the boiler was fitted and now we don’t have any gas at all.

“I’ve been in this situation for nearly a year and I feel helpless. I’m a single parent and I don’t know who to turn to.”

When contacted by the Telegraph & Argus, Mr Clegg refused to comment while he was dealing with the Council but he said that Mr Sharkey had not spoken to him about it. He said: “He has spoken to the newspaper and the Council, but not me. He sent me a text that said ‘don’t get it touch with me, I’m moving out’.”