Leicestershire parents fear mouldy homes are making children ill

Two families have spoken of their fears of bringing up children in damp social housing with mould growing on furniture and the walls.

The parents said their children had been diagnosed with a range of serious breathing conditions.

Both families said doctors told them the living conditions were a contributing factor to the illness.

They have criticised the response of local authorities in Leicestershire to their requests for help.

Ellie, 25, says three of her four children have almost continually suffered with respiratory conditions since moving to their flat in Pawley Gardens, Leicester, in 2021.

Two-year-old Rylee was admitted to hospital with bronchiolitis last week, having been treated for the same breathing problems just three weeks earlier.

His twin brother, Finley, was also hospitalised with breathing problems in December and has been diagnosed with bronchiolitis and chest infections on multiple occasions.

Their baby sister, Isla, has had bronchiolitis five times despite only being 11 months old.

The most recent hospital discharge letter for Rylee states it is "very likely" the mould in the flat is a contributing factor to the health issues.

"At the minute, I've got nowhere else to take them," Ellie said.

"I fear for my children. The next hospital admission, will it just be a little stay and then we come home?

"How severe has it got to get for the council to listen?"

Ellie says she is allergic to mould herself and has to take medication to treat her skin condition.

She also suffered with chronic lung disease as a baby.

When moving into the flat, Ellie said there was a damp patch of mould on the living room celling, which she was told had been caused by a slipped tile on the roof that had since been fixed.

However, the mould issues have continued since then.

She said: "Actually living in the flat, the children love it, I love it, but the damp and the mould is just taking over now.

"Because I get up every morning and bleach my window sills, at the moment the visible mould isn't bad - that's because I am so on top of it with cleaning.

"If I was to leave it to grow and grow, my flat would be absolutely covered."

A relative investigated the cause of the damp and found the loft was covered in black mould.

Ellie said this would often run down the walls of her flat during heavy rain.

She believes the roof and loft need major attention from Leicester City Council, which owns the property.

In the meantime, Ellie has asked to be moved.

"As much as I love my home, I'm willing to go anywhere," she said.

"I'm trying to liaise with my housing officer, I'm emailing daily."

Leicester City Council said a damp inspection was carried out at the property on Tuesday and found "no evidence of serious damp or mould".

It said: "There was a small amount of condensation-related mould on the window frames as can happen at this time of year, but the tenant is managing this correctly.

"Our repairs team also visited this morning at the request of the tenant and identified an unrelated, outstanding roof repair which will be carried out on 1 December.

"The tenant has agreed to stay in the property, and her housing officer will stay in regular contact with her while the work is carried out."

Helen and Mark took their 16-week-old son, Oakley, to hospital after he started wheezing and turning blue.

He was admitted on 13 November and diagnosed with bronchitis.

The parents said they were told by doctors that mould and damp in their Scraptoft, Leicestershire, home was a major contributing factor to his illness.

They told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it had been an ongoing issue since moving to their flat in 2020.

They said they had flagged it several times to Platform Housing Group, the housing association through which they rent, but the issue had never been properly sorted.

Mark, 35, said: "In the morning when it gets cold, the carpets are all damp.

"You can feel it on your socks, they're wet and your clothes don't dry. You always feel damp. It's just horrible.

"It's ruined furniture. We've got mouldy sofa, the curtains always get mouldy.

"We're trying to make a nice home for our family and it just gets ruined."

Mark said the damp had also affected their health and their six-year-old son, Danny-James.

"We all had chest infections last year and we've been to the doctors," he said.

"The doctors give us a note to give to the council."

He said Platform Housing and their housing officer at Harborough District Council "just didn't seem to care".

Oakley has since been able to return home but his parents said they remained concerned about his health.

Helen, 28, said: "He still gets slight wheeziness and coughs. But we still have to be in the property, we've not got anywhere else to go."

Since learning about Oakley's illness, the district council has arranged an inspection.

Platform Housing previously sent subcontractors out and installed damp proofing but workmen advised that repairs were needed to the roof and facias to solve the problem.

Following Oakley's illness, a surveyor has arranged a visit.

A spokeswoman for Platform Housing Group said: "Following a report of damp and mould, we carried out a clean at the home and have jobs booked in to repair a fan and the front door next week.

"A surveyor did attend the property earlier this week but was unable to gain access and this has now been rescheduled to assess if any further work may be required."

A council spokesperson said: "We have been made aware of the complaint and are working with the landlords to ensure they are complying with the legislation."

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