A toddler is literally eating her mum out of house and home because of a rare condition that means she eats everything from bath mats to sofas.
Lily Mullins, two, has Pica, described as the persistent eating of nonfood items with no nutrition.
The tot will stop at nothing to nibble on - brushes, shower puffs, clothes and more - and has even attempted consuming a toilet brush.
Mum-of-two Kate Ovington, 27, has to keep a constant watch on her.
"I'm always worried about what Lily is going to try and eat next," she said.
"I try to tell her that the things she's always putting in her mouth are going to make her feel poorly, but she doesn't understand.
"She loves to pull the hair out of her My Little Pony toy and eat it.
"When I tell her to stop she hides it under her pillow and sometimes I don't realise until it's too late.
"I'm always worried about what she's going to move on to and try to eat next.
"She particularly loves anything with hair or bristles."
Lily started having her unusual eating habits as a baby and Kate just imagined she was being like any baby and was curious.
"But then she started actually biting bits off the sponges and trying to swallow them.
"People said to me that she was just being a child, but I knew it was something more than that.
"It's the hygiene and choking aspect of it all that worries me the most," said Kate.
Doctors are baffled by Lily's behaviour and it was a nursery teacher who suggested it might be Pica.
As Lily grows older, her interest in normal food has worsened and Kate fears for the future.
"She only likes apples and strawberries.
"As she's getting older she'd definitely getting worse with normal food," she said.
"The worst was definitely when my partner Liam smashed the screen on his phone.
"Before we knew it, she was trying to eat the little pieces of glass.
"It's just so difficult.
"How do you explain to a two-year-old that they shouldn't be doing that?"
A spokesman from the Challenging Behaviour Foundation said: "Pica refers to eating objects which are inedible, such as stones, coins, shampoo, clothing and cigarette butts.
"Children and adults may eat one specific inedible object, or lots of different ones.
"Research into the causes, assessment and strategies for pica is very limited.
"The specific causes of pica are not clear.
"Whilst some objects pass through the body without harm, pica can potentially be life threatening.
"Risks include vomiting, constipation, infections, blockages in the gut and intestines, choking and poisoning."
