A Paisley grandmother facing a gruelling fight with lung cancer has been told by doctors her mouldy home “could kill her” - leaving her effectively homeless.
Christina Anderson was given the devastating news she has lung cancer in December last year.
Earlier this month, she went through a potentially life-saving operation to remove a part of her right lung.
The 54-year-old– who also faces the prospect of a thyroid cancer diagnosis –has issued a desperate plea to be moved from her home in Glenburn as severe dampness has rendered it unsafe for her.
Christina is a kinship carer for her two young grandsons - but says she has been forced to be separated from them due to being too sick to live in her own home.
She said: “It could kill me, it really could. Because it’s not just the cancer, I‘ve also got chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and I’m asthmatic too.
“My surgeon, after I’d had the surgery, told me there’s no way I can go back there because the place is full of mould.
“The boys keep asking about me because they think I’ve gone away and left them so it’s affecting them as well and with one of the boys being on the autism spectrum, he doesn’t understand why I’m not there.”
The problems with damp and mould in the Glenburn property were not immediately apparent when Christina first moved in two years ago, but she sought advice from the council after noticing snails and slugs making their way into the property.
The problem is most present in the two bedrooms and has destroyed a number of Christina’s belongings.
Council teams have been out to assess the property and have said that walls in the property will need to be brought down to fix the root of the problem.
But, given her health problems, Christina says she desperately needs the council to find her a temporary home until the problems with mould in her property are resolved.
Christina added: “My social worker has been out trying to help, but the council won’t even listen to her.
“I’m banging my head against the wall here.
“I’m technically homeless right now, because I can’t go back to the property.
“I’m sofa surfing with family, but I can’t do that forever because they’ll get in trouble for me being there when I’m not supposed to be there.”
In the meantime, Christina says the situation is taking its toll on her grandsons, who remain at the Glenburn property, with their father staying with them temporarily. The trio have to sleep in the living room.
She added: “It’s having a detrimental effect on all of our mental health.
“I should be recuperating, but I can’t even do that. I can’t recover.
“And if the council would just give me another property, this would all be resolved.”
A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council said, “We were going to do the work needed to address the damp in Ms Anderson’s home in December but Ms Anderson asked us to postpone it.
“We were expecting an update about when we could reschedule the work but we haven’t heard anything back so far.
“We will immediately check the property’s current condition to identify whether any additional work is needed. We will also assess whether a decant is required.
“We will contact Ms Anderson directly to make arrangements to get access to the property.”
Laura's story
A desperate Paisley mum has issued a plea to the council to fix her damp-ridden home, which she says is making her children sick.
Laura Leitch, from Ferguslie Park, says her daughter Lyla, 10, and her three-year old son Callum are suffering from chest infections due to the severe dampness which is taking over her home in Blackstoun Road.
The 31-year-old says she feels like she is living in “squalor”, with Lyla being forced to sleep in the living room due to the damp leaving her bed and mattress soaked.
Laura - who says her plight is costing her hundreds of pounds due to the damage caused to her belongings and soaring heating costs - fears it will take a tragedy before Renfrewshire Council takes action.
The single mum is calling on council bosses to step up and improve how they handle damp complaints in light of the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould at his Rochdale home in December 2020.
Laura told the Express: “Because of the mould, my son’s up coughing, my daughter’s up coughing, I’m coughing.
“Honestly, I’ve just had enough. They’re just not listening to me.
“What’s it going to take? Is it going to take something to happen to my wee boy before the council is going to listen?”
Laura, who has lived in the property for eight years, says she first raised the issue around one year after moving in.
Following a number of visits from inspectors, she says she was given the same advice of opening windows, turning on the heating, and to bleach down household items affected, which included Lyla’s mattress and Callum’s pushchair.
Laura added: “A man came round and he inspected the place and told me to open the windows and put the heating on, basically, but I was already doing all of that.
“It’s using up all my money and nothing is fixing the root of the problem.”
The mum-of two says she feels like she has “lost hope” that she will ever get a new home, adding: “The council are saying they’re building all these houses and then I’m living in this. I just feel like I’m living in squalor.
“I’m constantly cleaning, but I never feel clean. It’s a horrible feeling not to feel comfortable and clean in your own home.”
Renfrewshire Council said it is working hard to identify mould problems in their properties and assist tenants.
A spokesman said: “We are continuing to do all we can to tackle damp and mould and we recently revised our approach to the problem.
“This includes inspections using damp meters, identifying the root cause of the issues and doing any repairs that are needed to address them.
“We are also working proactively to identify potential issues before they become a problem by installing equipment which measures temperature and humidity levels. We are also providing support to tenants with help and advice on tackling fuel poverty and combatting damp.”
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