Your article on mouldy homes (Crack down on mouldy homes in England or more will die, warns doctors’ body, 10 January) implies that currently there is no law to deal with damp and mouldy homes. That is wrong: local authorities have a duty to deal with such homes already under the Housing Act 2004.
Damp and mould is one of the hazards in the home, where if there is a serious risk of imminent harm to the occupiers, the council can take emergency action to deal with the problem and recharge the owner or prohibit the dwelling’s occupation. The issue is lack of resources in the first place. If Michael Gove were serious about tackling this scandal, he would make the means available for local authorities and their environmental health officers to tackle this increasing problem. That could be done much quicker than any new law (that still has to be enforced).
Dr Stephen Battersby
Vice-president, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
