By Miriam Kuepper For Mailonline
Published: 12:21 GMT, 6 December 2022 | Updated: 12:48 GMT, 6 December 2022 Kitchen Curtain
A family has told how they have been trapped living in their council flat for the last five years that is riddled with mould and is so damp they have had to rip up the carpets.
Sara Martin, 42, and her partner Alistair Stuart, 59, initially moved into the ground floor property in West Pilton, Edinburgh, nine years ago and said they have been dealing with the issues for nearly a decade.
The family of six have now seen multiple investigations and surveys carried out into the problem of the dampness and black mould, but have claimed they have been given no long-term solution.
Despite council works trying to remove the dampness, Ms Martin explained that the mould has continued to spread, with the family forced to rip up their 'soaking' carpets this winter.
Sara Martin, 42, and her partner Alistair Stuart, 59, initially moved into the ground floor property in West Pilton nine years ago and said they have been dealing with dampness and mould for nearly a decade
Ms Martin said: 'It's that bad that my son's has a divan bed that's collapsed with black mould and we had to get rid of bean bags because the carpet was soaking'
The family's despair comes as Britain's 'mould epidemic' is worsened by the cost of living crisis, which sees millions of renters battling investations in their home.
Raising children inside the ground floor flat they are living in, the mother-of-four said the conditions have worsened their asthma, as well as breaking their beds and spreading into their clothes.
It's a fungus rather like mildew or toadstools, and it needs permanently damp conditions to grow and multiply.
It struggles to establish itself in dry conditions and, if you can see mould growing on a wall, you are looking at a colony of perhaps millions of mould spores.
Once they start growing, they increase rapidly and will continue to do so unless eradicated.
Mould is an allergen and, if allowed to spread, can become highly toxic and cause severe respiratory infections. Spores can grow on plaster, wood, carpet and even dust.
The problem is worse in tenanted homes, rather than privately owned ones, as these properties tend to be cheaply built with thin walls and are prone to condensation. Also, much rental stock is old and not built to current housing regulations.
Another factor is that these properties tend to be less well looked after by landlords than owner-occupied homes.
Indeed, according to the charity Shelter, around 40 per cent of rental homes are susceptible to mould.
She added: 'It's horrendous, we've had three housing inspectors, two damp-proof surveys done and they just don't want to do anything about it.
'Four and a half years ago we got decanted to a two bedroom flat so they could do insulation in the walls which we were told by the inspector would be brick, but they just seemed to do a whitewash and put plasterboard over it and within two or three months it was starting to come back through.
'It's just getting worse. Since I've had the insulation done I've done everything, cleaned, used the washes and the solutions.
'We have towels on our windows as well as the dehumidifiers which are full every couple of hours, and even with the towels it's constantly dripping.
'It's in every room in the house.
'They redecorated the girls bedroom and bathroom which was supposedly to seal it but it's still coming through in the girls room.
'We most recently had the inspector out and they said to get it needs repairs or a damp surveyor out so he's ordered one for January but we've done this before. It's ridiculous.'
Forced to pull up the majority of their carpets due to the damp, the family claim to have also experienced a worsening in their health in recent years, with almost all of the children now suffering from asthma.
Ms Martin added: 'Since I moved in my son has developed asthma, my two older daughters had asthma before but it's gotten worse and they're on stronger steroids and inhalers.
'I've had pneumonia in the summer in this house and my partner now needs an x-ray on his lungs because the doctor thinks they don't sound right.
'My youngest daughter, she's four, and all she does is cough constantly. If she's not got a cough she's got a cold.
'In this house, it's cold enough with carpets and things but with no carpets the second the heating goes off the heat is gone.
'With the cost of living crisis right now it's a big concern.
'It's that bad that my son's has a divan bed that's collapsed with black mould and we had to get rid of bean bags because the carpet was soaking.
Forced to pull up the majority of their carpets due to the damp, the family claim they have also experienced a worsening in their health in recent years, with almost all of the children now suffering from asthma
Ms Martin said: 'It's just getting worse. Since I've had the insulation done I've done everything, cleaned, used the washes and the solutions. We have towels on our windows as well as the dehumidifiers which are full every couple of hours, and even with the towels it's constantly dripping. It's in every room in the house'
'Recently we had to pull the carpets out because my daughter's bed collapsed underneath her and she's only four.
'We want to get out of here because it's not healthy for any of us, we've been bidding on four beds and getting nowhere for five years.
'Nothing at all. Even, with our housing officers, there's been a real breakdown in communication. We feel like we're getting ignored.'
Local Councillor Jane Meagher said: 'We take the health and wellbeing of our tenants very seriously and carried out repairs back in January to deal with condensation and dampness in the property.
'We are looking into the latest reported issues and will update the tenant on our plans to resolve this.'
Ms Martin isn't the only one claiming the mould in her home has worsened her children's health.
A mother-of-three reported last week that the mould in her rented house in Salford caused one child's asthma and persistent coughs and chest infections for the other two.
The families' situations come at a time when the conditions of social housing are at the forefront of the national agenda, following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.
Ms Martin added: 'In this house, it's cold enough with carpets and things but with no carpets the second the heating goes off the heat is gone. With the cost of living crisis right now it's a big concern'
The families' situations come at a time when the conditions of social housing are at the forefront of the national agenda, following the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak (pictured)
Awaab, two, died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his home on the Freehold estate in Rochdale.
The government has been making promises that landlords will be punished for failing to deal with issues such as mould promptly after a coroner ruled that Awaab's death was related to chronic exposure to fungus.
Sarah Woolnough, CEO at Asthma + Lung UK, said: 'Exposure to mould and damp can be very harmful to our lungs, as mould releases spores that can be breathed in, causing symptoms like coughing, wheezing, sneezing or watery eyes.
'Mould and fungi are a major trigger for asthma attacks and can worsen symptoms for those with other lung conditions, leave them fighting for breath.
'Babies, small children, older people and people with allergies are more likely to be affected.
'There is a link between poor housing and asthma, because of things like mould and damp.
'Mould and damp in houses are worse when temperatures drop in the winter, and cold and flu viruses, which can cause respiratory infections, can also thrive in colder temperatures and poorly ventilated, damp environments.
'Asthma + Lung UK is warning people, particularly those with lung conditions to be vigilant against mould and damp, including keeping your home well ventilated.
' There are more tips on the Asthma + Lung UK website that can help you: asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/moulds-and-fungi/ You can also call the Asthma + Lung UK helpline on 0300 222 5800, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, for advice and support.'
The comments below have been moderated in advance.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Outdoor Curtain We are no longer accepting comments on this article.