Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
James J Turner & Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Family 'cancel Christmas' as black mould returns to take over their home again

A family of four say they are unable to celebrate Christmas because black mould is covering their home five years after begging the housing association for help.

Kevin Carmichael explained back in 2020 how the family had to throw most of their furniture away because the problem got so bad.

The 40-year-old has been left in despair over the long-standing issue which started when they moved into the property in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire five years ago.

The problem got so bad that the whole family of four were forced to live on mattresses in a single room, GrimsbyLive report.

Now the dad-of-two says he wife has had two nervous breakdowns and the state of their home is making him suffer with depression as the issue taking over their lives.

Damp problems the Ongo-owned house have been going on for years (Submitted Picture)
The housing association say they want to inspect the property properly (Submitted Picture)

Kevin says he first reported the issues to landlord Ongo when they moved in three years ago, but the problem has grown out of control.

The couple's son has even fallen ill because of the damp as they plead with the housing association to find them somewhere acceptable to live.

"My wife has had two nervous breakdowns as a result of all of this," Kevin said . "I'm suffering the worst depression of my entire life.

"We've never been able to decorate the house to make it a home in the whole time we've lived here - what's the point when its all going to get destroyed?"

They family say they won't celebrate Christmas this year (Grimsby Live/MEN MEDIA)

His wife Kelly, 37, added: "It's like we've never been able to shift flu symptoms from the day it all started. We're all wrapped up in quilts and the kids have been off school because they're constantly getting ill."

The Carmichaels are now desperate to move elsewhere and are begging their housing association, Ongo, to step in.

Kelly added: "They have been in touch with the company previously, but complications have arisen as Ongo claims the family have not allowed them entry to parts of the property to investigate."

Kevin said his son Caleb fell ill from the mould (Jon Corken/Grimsby Live)

Steve Hepworth, chief executive of Ongo said: “When we attended on Monday December 5, we were given access to the downstairs toilet to assess the issues in there, but the Carmichaels wouldn’t let us access any other rooms in the property.

"So unfortunately we were unable to carry out a full assessment of the property as required.

"We were able to take samples from the exterior of the property and we’re now looking at further investigations which involve the tiles and guttering to get to the bottom of the issue to be able to repair it.

"Today (Thursday, December 8), we have also arranged an appointment on Monday, December 12, and the Carmichaels have confirmed we will have access to the whole property to allow us to do the necessary work.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.