A worried mum says she has started having panic attacks about her children living in their mouldy flat after the death of a toddler.
Racquel Bryan, 38, said she has been dealing with mould in her council flat for 16 years and now fears for her sons' safety.
She claims she has been complaining to Lambeth Council since moving into the property in 2006.
But despite several staff visits, she said problems still persist and the three-bed home is unsafe.
She said: "It's my biggest fear that one of my children will die from this mould.
"I've started having panic attacks after that poor little boy was in the news."
Mum-of-five Racquel said she fears for two of her two boys who have asthma after the death of Awaab Ishak.
The two-year-old died in 2020, eight days after his second birthday, as a direct result of black mould at the Rochdale flat where he lived.
Racquel, who is single and on benefits, has started having panic attacks recently over the health of her sons Daeshamar, eight, and Daeshamai, five.
She added: "My youngest is constantly getting ill with coughs and colds and when he gets a temperature he suffers from seizures.
"The mould is really bad, it's black and smelly and it stinks all through our home."
Racquel, from Lambeth, south London, told how she is constantly cleaning and wiping the mould or painting over it.
"When we first moved in, the council advised me to keep the windows open and use a dehumidifier," she said.
"It's always freezing. We have to have the windows open all the time.
"I need them to move me but they are just not listening."
Racquel told how the flat was damp, had no internal doors or flooring and the walls were bare when she moved in with daughters Shaday and Daeshanel, both 18.
The mum claims she complained but was told she had to accept the property and go on the transfer list, which she did.
But this means she has had to keep the windows open, she claims, to keep the damp out.
This has forced the family to sit in cold conditions in winter, huddling together in warm tracksuits, jumpers and dressing gowns.
The mum said her GP has written to Lambeth Council about the living conditions for both Daeshamai and Daeshamar, who each take two inhalers daily and routinely visit an asthma clinic.
But despite several visits, the mould is still there.
She said: "I've kept contacting them over the years. Sometimes they come out but they don't finish the job.
"They sometimes come and repaint the walls but the mould just keeps coming back. It's a constant battle - I just got used to it.
"It ruins our belongings. I've put away pictures of the kids and important papers and documents and then I go back and they're all stuck together and there's nothing I can do to salvage them.
"So many memories have been destroyed. It's so tiring."
A spokesperson for Lambeth Council said: "We have been working to fix a number of problems identified at this home for some time, and to ensure that the issues reported to us are attended to. We apologise for any inconvenience the delay has caused to Ms Bryan and her family.
“We have already carried out a mould wash at the property and we have arranged for a further inspection so we can complete the works required in the coming days.
“Lambeth has more than 33,000 council homes and our priority is ensuring all of these are safe and well-maintained for our tenants. We have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in improving our council homes and estates in recent years.
“Lambeth has also concentrated on making improvements to day-to-day repairs and maintenance, including assigning 10 new firms and a brand new in-house repairs team to the task since last summer.
"Our wider strategy to proactively reduce instances of disrepair and resolve them in partnership with our residents includes: a dedicated Disrepair Project Group; a new Healthy Homes Partnership; Home MOTs and Home Health Checks; and a rapid response team to respond to any reports of damp and mould.
"These improvements demonstrate our determination to provide a better service to tenants. We’re committed to continuing these improvements, and acting quickly to resolve problems when they are brought to our attention."
