Downing Street has hit out at 'unresponsive landlords' in a statement following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak. Coroner Joanne Kearsley concluded today (November 15) that the two-year-old's death was brought on by prolonged exposure to mould at his home on Rochdale's Freehold estate.
Rochdale Coroners Court heard that Awaab's dad Faisal Abdullah, who came to the UK as a refugee from Sudan in 2015, had not experienced mould before autumn 2017. When he showed a picture of 'black dots' in his home to a worker at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), he was told to 'paint over it', in advice described by Ms Kearsley as 'not clear or effective'.
Concerns were raised to RBH in a letter from health visitor Caroline Ridley in July 2020, while a legal claim had been submitted by the family a month earlier. Mark Wrigley, technical inspector at RBH, visited the property on July 14 and listed repairs that needed carrying out.
