A mum who says her family has been plagued with health issues due to damp and mould in her house is refusing to go back.
Carolanne Gemmell’s Winchburgh home is riddled with damp patches and black mould and has “water running down her walls” due to an issue with her roof.
She has been told by West Lothian Council she will have to move out for at least a year so that repairs can be carried out – but she says there is no way she’ll be returning.
Carolanne said her 15-year-old son Rhys, daughter Millie (13) and partner Stewart have been suffering from coughing fits and the damp is making her home freezing cold.
And aside from health complaints, the damp has ruined clothes, carpets, blinds and furniture throughout her home, costing thousands of pounds.
Carolanne (38), who works in a school kitchen, said she had first noticed a problem a few years ago but added that matters have got much worse over the last six weeks.
She got a roofer in herself who told her the house was not suitable to live in.
She then got in touch with West Lothian Council, claiming that it took the local authority more than a month before they offered to move her and her family out.
Carolanne told the Courier: “Between emails, messages and phone calls, I had been in touch with the council about 10 or 11 times about it.
“I was close to having a breakdown over it all.
“My son’s had a bad cough for a while and we then discovered he had dampness behind his wardrobe which we never knew about.
“My partner has been treated for what they thought was long covid, but now we think that it has been caused by all this, because his breathing is really bad.
“I have had a really bad cough as well.”
Carolanne said she has been told it will be at least a year before her house is fit to live in again, but she is refusing to return.
She continued: “I’ve told them I’m not moving back.
“The house is that old and all the stress and upheaval this has caused, plus the loss of all my stuff – I’m not willing for that to happen again.” A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “The council is aware of the circumstances and officers have been in contact with the tenant.
“Officers carried out an inspection in the property and identified an issue with water ingress from the roof which has resulted in condensation and dampness arising in the property.
“Officers have since been in dialogue with the tenant in order to source suitable alternative temporary accommodation for the tenant which would allow necessary repair work to be carried out.”
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