The family of a couple who fled war-torn Ukraine have expressed concerns for their health after mould was found in the Gateshead council house they moved to.
Mohammed Nazemi and his wife Zarghoona Nazemi settled in High Spen in the summer after leaving their home in Ukraine and joined other members of their family in the UK due to the ongoing conflict. But when their son and his wife - who also live in the North East - went to visit them, they were horrified to find "disgusting and unsightly" mould that could potentially be putting the health of Mohammed and Zarghoona at risk.
The couple's daughter-in-law, who is a GP and does not want to be named, said she was concerned after seeing the mould. She said: "They [Mohammed and Zarghoona] are cleaning it every day, the mould is disgusting and unsightly. I called the council and I spoke to a very helpful lady who felt it was a roof problem and sent out a roofer. He checked things over and he said a mould inspector should have been sent out first."
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Following her call in November, the daughter-in-law was told that a mould inspector would come out to the house, but she claims she was not given a date of when that would be. She explained: "There's no urgency, I've had no call or anything since, I'm so worried."
She is also concerned about the health of her in-laws, who are in their 50s and 60s, adding: "They are so thankful they've got a roof over their head and there's no missiles flying overhead anymore, and they didn't want to make a big fuss [about the mould]. But when I saw it, the mould is in a wet room, there's no window in that room.
"There's mould all over the ceiling, on the wall, it's dripping with moisture because there's no ventilation. There's possibly a small extractor but I can't hear it and it's clearly not doing anything. When I first saw it I was horrified at what I saw."
She continued: "It's freezing cold at the minute but they have to open the windows for some ventilation. Mohammed is a cardiology patient and he suffers with his breathing and the mould is potentially putting him at further risk."
Addressing the issue, a Gateshead Council spokesperson, said: "We received a call on behalf of the tenants on Tuesday 22 November to report a potential issue with mould in their property, and have responded [on Monday], within our 20 working day target. Pending confirmation, we believe the mould, which is confined to a bathroom ceiling, to be caused by a lack of adequate insulation within a flat roof structure."
The council added: "We have agreed to wash and treat the affected area [on] Tuesday 20 December, to remove any immediate hazard; and to permanently resolve the issue, pre-construction and safety checks will be carried out as soon as possible, with a view to installing the correct amount of insulation."
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