A distraught mum-of-four says her baby is "struggling to breathe every night" because of their mould-ridden flat.
Charlotte Green, 26, has battled with leaks and damp at her two-bedroom home in Lewisham, South East London since 2017.
In October, her eight-month-old daughter was rushed to hospital with bronchiolitis - a chest infection - and had oxygen delivered through her nose until she could breathe on her own.
Two months later, harrowing footage shows the infant still suffering from respiratory problems, gasping for breath and coughing while holding an asthma pump.
The video comes in the wake of a coroner ruling that exposure to mould caused a respiratory condition which took the life of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale.
His family had made repeated complaints about their flat but no action was taken before Awaab's death in November 2020.
Referring to the footage of her baby daughter, Charlotte told the Mirror: "Every night she's like that. About six to seven weeks after she was born she started having breathing problems, but it's only got worse.
"As soon as I walk into my bedroom that's it, she starts coughing. I sit her up then put double pillows and blankets around her cot to keep the warmth in.
"I also try and move anything affected by the damp away from her, so she doesn't breathe it in. When she's outside she's got the fresh air, which does help, but it's as soon as we get in she starts coughing."
The mum said her two-year-old son has also been to hospital several times due to breathing difficulties, while another one of her daughters has started suffering allergic reactions, including swollen eyes and lips.
She fears her children's ill health is linked to the black mould, which has covered their belongings and even seeped through insulation walls designed to keep the problem at bay.
Charlotte said: "It's everywhere. You can literally smell it as soon as you walk in, as well as on clothes and toys. It is seeping through that badly.
"Surveyors came around for a housing disrepair claim and they tested every wall for how much damp is in it. They said it's over 30 percent in every wall - it's meant to be under 10 percent.
"The communal areas are also soaking wet. There are condensation droplets coming off the ceiling and in the lifts."
The mum has contacted Greenwich Council numerous times over the past five years but says that, while they have made temporary solutions, the root of the problem still remains.
She continued: "I've tried to paint over it, we've had insulation walls and it just keeps coming back.
"They've told me how to ventilate the property better, but I have my windows and my air vents open when I'm out during the day. When I come back I close them and put the heating on for a little while, then I turn it off to stop the condensation.
"I have a tumble dryer and don't dry clothes on the radiator, which they used to complain about. I've moved everything away from the walls because they've said to keep them room to breathe, but it's still coming through.
"They just keep trying to say I am the one to blame for not ventilating the property."
Charlotte said she has also been without hot water or heating for four days due to issues with her boiler, and is struggling to afford the cost of running electric heaters in the meantime.
She added: "It's literally like living outside. It's just keeping us dry at the minute because we've got a roof over our head, but the weather outside feels the same temperature as inside the house."
The council has arranged an appointment for January 12, but Charlotte remains doubtful the problem will be resolved.
She said: "They'll probably come around, look at it, say to dry out the walls and that will probably be about it."
Her story comes as the Mirror launches its End Housing Hell campaign, demanding that social, council and private housing tenants are fined when properties fail to meet the minimum standards.
We're also calling for the Decent Homes Standard to be enforced and extended to the private sector, tens of thousands more social homes to be built, better access to legal aid for tenants, inspections to improve and the Local Housing Allowance to be raised to help people with the cost of rent.
Latest figures show there are 3.5 million homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard.
This includes 2.2 million properties that have at least one Category 1 hazard such as mould, asbestos or dangerous electrics and 941,000 that have serious damp.
Greenwich Council said it has awarded Charlotte's family a rehousing priority, but that demand remains "extremely high".
A spokesperson told the Mirror: “We know that damp and mould is a big concern for our tenants and leaseholders and it’s something that we take extremely seriously.
"The council is working hard to resolve Ms Green’s housing situation and understands the impact this has had on her family.
"Extensive repairs were carried out to the property in September 2021, which included adding insulation to the walls in the bedroom, hallway and front room, and repairing a leak from the property above.
"At the beginning of January, we’ll be carrying out further inspections to find out why the mould has returned, and organising any additional remedial works that may be required.
"We’ve also awarded the family a rehousing priority, backdated to April 2022, which includes all four of Ms Green’s children.
"However, due to the national housing crisis, there is an extremely high demand for social housing and a shortage of council homes both in Royal Greenwich and across the country.
"Those who have been awarded a priority are still waiting a minimum of three years before they are likely to be rehoused.
"We will continue to remain in close contact with Ms Green and do whatever we can to support her family while they are bidding for a new council home."
Have you been left in a home from hell? Email katie.weston@reachplc.com
