Thick black mould covering the walls and ceilings of a family’s home has caused health problems for the pregnant mother and her children.
Chloe Dowling moved into a block of flats in Wroughton last August with her partner, son and daughter who were soon beset by one problem after another.
A roof leak in the kitchen forced them to move out temporarily and since returning to the address, persistent growths of mould have made it difficult to breathe in certain parts of the property.
She feels that the bathroom and what used to be her bedroom are currently too unusable and takes her children to a friend’s or her parent’s houses to bathe them.
Recently, the housing association booked a mould painting appointment but instead, an electrician who could not do anything to address the issue turned up.
She said: “They have cleaned the mould five times but it keeps coming back.
“My children get chest infections, and myself and my youngest – who is 14 months old - are on antibiotics.
“There was mould growing around her cot so I had to throw it out and buy a new one.
“My downstairs neighbour has mould too, apparently the previous tenant left the bath running and flooded the flats, I wish I’d known that before I moved here.
“Stonewater tell me to keep my windows open and I do, as much as possible, but that’ll be a problem when it gets colder outside.
“We were also told to look for a mutual exchange but no-one would want to swap with us and move into a home full of mould.”
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David Lockerman, Director of Housing Operations for Stonewater, said: “We’ve carried out a significant amount of work in April this year at Ms Dowling’s home so it’s concerning to hear a problem with mould has returned.
“We’ve been in touch to arrange a professional wash-down, which we’ll follow up with a more in-depth survey by a specialist contractor to identify the root cause.
“We’re also continuing to help Ms Dowling look at all available options to find an alternative home, more suited to a growing family, and will do all we can to support her with this.”
Chloe confirmed that the wash-down has now been carried out, a management move has been proposed to help find another flat, and someone is booked to fix the bathroom ceiling in a few weeks.
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