Lichfield youngster Harrison Joyce was found strangled on a window blind cord by his horrified older brother while his mother was just metres away in another room, an inquest heard.

Three-year-old Harrison had been left alone for around eight minutes before brother Brandon, aged 13, discovered him as he returned home from school, Cannock Coroner’s court heard.

He shouted: “Mom, H is asleep standing up.”

Frantic efforts to rescuscitate him at their Leomansley Farm home in Walsall Road failed and he was certified dead at Good Hope hospital in Sutton Coldfield.

A postmortem revealed the looped metal cord of the roman blind had strangled him leaving an inprint on his neck and chin.

The court heard Harrison had been in very good health for his age.

Five days later 16-month-old Lilian Bagnall-Lambe died in a similar tragedy at her home in Dartmouth Street, Stafford. Her inquest was  due to be held today.

South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh, who recorded a verdict of accidental death on Harrison, is to write to the department of business and enterprise calling for the looped cord blinds to be banned.

He thanked Harrison’s parents Scott and Rachel for the work they are doing in trying to protect other children by campaigning against the blinds.

Harrison’s father Scott  said: “The campaign will go on but we need more backing. This is happening all the time. What else in the home can take a child’s life in just three to five seconds. Its obvious they shouldn’t exist.”

More than 3,300,people have signed an online petition backing the campaign which has won support from throughout the community.