A CHILD was neglected and had so many head lice a bath “looked like an oil slick” after they had been removed, a court heard.

A foster carer for the six-year-old girl and her three-year-old sister told Southampton Crown Court of the “shocking” state the pair were in when they came into her care.

The girls’ parents, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, are on trial accused of child neglect after the alarm was raised by staff at a Hampshire school.

The jury was told that the pair were not toilet trained and took months to adjust to healthy cleaning and eating habits.

The girls were taken into care and their foster mother, giving evidence by video link, relived her introduction to the youngsters.

She said: “I didn’t know how bad they were and it was a shock when I saw them.

“If I put hot water in a bath they would scream and say it was too hot, even though it was cold.

“It took us four days, for an hour a day, [to get the head lice out] and it looked like an oil slick – it was just full of nits.

“There’s been an incredible difference and you would not know they are the same children now.”

The carer, who said she had taken in more than 60 children during her fostering career, told the jury that the girls have since developed a more healthy complexion and drink water, rather than just sugary drinks.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, the parents told police that they were trying to sort out problems with the older sister’s head, and denied that they had fallen short in their responsibilities.

The six-year-old was also described by a teacher as “smelling of rotting meat” and was said to have matted hair.

Prosecutor Robert Bryan had previously read medical details to the court stating that the case was the worst the examiner had seen in a 30-year career.

The 43-year-old woman and 47-year-old man both deny two charges of child neglect and the trial, presided over by Judge Peter Henry, is expected to last three weeks.