'Our kitchen is our only room with no mould'

A family of five who have been "living in a house full of mould" have received an apology from a social housing provider after months of delays fixing the problem.

Charlotte and Carl Cooper, who live in Cross Heath, Staffordshire, said their kitchen was now the only room in their home without mould.

They have lived there for about three years, they said, and as Mrs Cooper is asthmatic she has faced difficulties with her breathing that were made worse by the mould.

Aspire Housing carried out an initial mould wash at the property in November, and said it would return to fully resolve the issue.

Mrs Cooper, 36, said: "It has landed me in hospital a few times because I can't breathe. They've had to give me new respiratory tests and new inhalers."

Her children's bedroom was just as bad, she said, and her son is also asthmatic.

"I think the only thing that they've helped us to do is they put us a new kitchen in. I'm not asking for a new kitchen, I'm asking to make the house liveable," she said.

"Don't get me wrong, the kitchen is nice but I think that's the only room in this house where mould isn't growing."

The Coopers pay £440 per month to rent the two-bedroom on Hassam Avenue. They said the mould has already damaged their wardrobes and clothes.

"It's just bringing me down every day because I have to wake up to a house that is full of mould," Mrs Cooper said.

Aspire Housing said damp and mould at the property was reported to them in April and a home survey was conducted two days later.

Due to an internal error, repairs were not completed, they said.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience and trouble this delay has caused," said service delivery manager Malcolm Senior.

He added: "We are arranging to complete the repair works detected in the coming weeks and we will continue to support [the family] until these issues are fully resolved."

The social housing provider said it had recently reviewed its damp, mould and condensation procedures.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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