THE parents of a young boy who died after a cough and a cold triggered a fatal asthma attack urged other mums and dads to look out for warning signs.

Tragic Louis Griffiths, 10, was rushed to a minor injuries unit late after he began wheezing at home while playing on his Playstation.

His condition slowly worsened on arrival before nosediving dramatically.

Louis, from Dunster, was then taken to hospital and given dozens of shots of adrenaline on the way.

He tragically passed away just hours later, an inquest in Taunton in Somerset heard on Thursday (August 15).

Speaking outside the inquest, his parents Tracy and Barry urged parents to be vigilant.

Barry, a market trader, and Tracy, a housewife, said: "Parents need to look out.

''Louis always used to talk to us but, as he got older, he stopped because he didn't want to go down to the hospital.

"Watch out for their breathing."

They added: "He was a happy boy - everybody used to say he was always smiling.

''He loved his sport, loved football, loved Chelsea FC. He has loads of friends at school."

The inquest was told Louis had suffered with chronic asthma since 2005 and received regular treatment.

Severe attacks were usually prompted by viral infections.

Louis was fitted with an intravenous drip when he arrived at the minor injuries unit and was set to be given steroids.

But the device fell out during a seizure while staff undertook a 50-minute search for the drugs when they couldn't be found in the resuscitation room.

Further attempts to reattach the drip were unsuccessful.

Consultant nurse Martin Paynter, who investigated the circumstances surrounding the death for the local health trust, said: "The issue was addressed the following morning.

"Those drugs have, ever since, been readily accessible.

"A plastic tube - even if it's secured quite well with tape - is always at risk of being knocked out during a seizure, or when lots of hands are touching the patient.

"But on the balance of probabilities a robust action plan - if the parents had had steroids at home - would have not have had an impact on the rapid deterioration that occurred.

"[The deterioration] was extremely rare - something you might see once or twice in a career."

Another issue addressed at the inquest, held at Somerset Coroner's Court, focused on when the ambulance was called.

Logs showed South Western Ambulance Service were dialled at 10:37pm and arrived at 11:31pm, roughly when Louis went into cardiac arrest.

A second, more urgent call was made at 11:15pm.

A report commissioned by senior coroner Tony Williams established that the 999 call could have been placed sooner but concluded Louis still would have died due to the speed of his deterioration.

The inquest heard that a written action plan may also have affected how treatment was administered - something Louis never had.

Returning a narrative summary, Mr Williams said: "I have put a conclusion of natural causes.

"Louis Griffiths was admitted to the minor injuries unit in Minehead on April 29, 2015 with an exacerbation of his asthma.

"He had no written personalised action plan. The severity of his condition was not appreciated.

"No steroids were available in the resuscitation room. No steroids were administered.

''An ambulance was not summoned after the initial assessment was completed."

Louis was a pupil at Minehead Middle School and a former pupil at Dunster First School.

Headteachers described him as having a "great sense of humour" and spoke of his love for sports and learning.

Louis' school friends raised thousands of pounds for Asthma UK through sponsored walks and school events.