Town hall chiefs insist they are holding an under-fire housing association to account after a Manchester Evening News investigation into conditions on a Rochdale estate. Two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in December 2020 after living in a property affected by damp and mould on the Freehold estate.
Tragic details of the toddler's death have only emerged this summer as Rochdale Coroners' Court prepares for Awaab's inquest in November. Awaab's post-mortem established a medical link between the conditions he was breathing in and his death, just days after his second birthday, the court heard in June.
The M.E.N. has since uncovered similar conditions affecting families on Freehold, an estate run by social landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), more than 18 months since Awaab's death. They include families with children who have previously been rushed to hospital for breathing issues, as well as some with GPs who wrote with concerns about the condition of their homes.
