THE parents of a baby girl who has one leg longer than the other are furious she may have to travel as far as Sheffield for treatment.

Ten-month-old Angel Armstrong’s left leg is two to three inches longer than her right, which causes her discomfort and mobility problems.

Angel will not be able to learn to walk until doctors can establish what is wrong with her leg, which could be due to a dislocated hip. But her parents, Alan Armstrong and Paula Bedford, of Acomb, said they were horrified to be told Angel could not be diagnosed or treated at York Hospital.

They initially thought she would have to go to Leeds, but now understand it is more likely to be Sheffield.

Paula, who has three other children, said: “It should have been diagnosed well before this. If it doesn’t get sorted out this is going to have a big impact on her future.

“She is going to be walking with a limp and I don’t think it’s fair for her.

“We don’t understand why she can’t be treated in York Hospital. We have had no explanation. If we have to go to Sheffield, it will mean a lot of complications.”

Their concerns have been supported by Dr Sadia Muhammed, their GP at the Priory Medical Centre in Cornlands Road.

Dr Muhammed said she was surprised a city hospital the size of York’s could not diagnose Angel.

She said: “It’s disappointing that a child who has an undiagnosed condition has to travel to Sheffield or Leeds to get a diagnosis.”

A spokesman for York Hospital said it was likely that Angel would be treated in Sheffield because it had a specialist children’s hospital with expert staff.

The spokesman said: “We are disappointed to hear of any occasion where it is felt that the care received fell below the standard we would expect.

“We have a number of ways in which people can give us their comments, and we would encourage the Armstrong family to get in touch with us directly to discuss their concerns.”