One mum has been left despairing as doctors raise their worries for her children's health stuck in a mould-infested home.
Kym Austin’s three children all have ailments that medics warn have likely been caused directly by the mould in their home, in Salford, and are only due to get worse because of it.
One of her three kids was diagnosed with asthma last month, and the other two have been in and out of the doctors for persistent coughs and chest infections as well, The Manchester Evening News reported.
The children have been forced to move downstairs to the living room to sleep in as their rooms are so riddled with mould.
Things have gotten so bad that doctors have even had to write to her housing association, warning of the dangers of their situation.
Thick strips of mould line the tops of walls upstairs and brown moisture runs down some of the paintwork as window ledges and curtains are discoloured.
Specks of the mould has even got into the children’s toothbrushes as a once white shower curtain is marred with black and brown spots.
Their story comes as a part of a national issue of Brits being trapped in substandard homes that culminated in the tragic death of little Awaab Ishak.
Up and down Britain, other families find themselves in dire situations, in damp-infested flats and homes with no escape.
But just ten miles from where little Awaab lived, Kym is fearing for her own children’s health.
She said: "When I read the article about Awaab Ishak I had goose bumps. I've done it all and I just can't get my kids away from it."
Kym and her children were moved to the house, owned and managed by Clarion Housing in February 2021. But less than four months later, Kym began noticing dark spots of black mould in some of the rooms.
She contacted Clarion immediately, which sent a mould expert out to her home. She claims she was told there was condensation in the property, and advised not to use her heating so much.
Kym repeatedly raised concerns about her boiler not working properly and claimed the mould was down to her windows not being sealed properly.
Things got worse as the winter months drew in but Clarion sent a contractor out to clean the walls and the problem seemed fixed until three weeks later the mould reappeared.
It came back worse than before she said, and it was at this point her three kids started getting sick.
Since the start of this year, Kym claims the kids have been in and out of the doctors every two or three weeks with coughs, chest infections or colds.
She said: "My son has had chest x-rays because they were not sure why he was so wheezy. He was seen last month and they said he definitely has asthma. For the past two weeks he's been using an inhaler three times a day when he's never had problems before.
"The other two are the same and struggle without an inhaler. My daughter is only two and she is having to go to the doctors regularly for check ups."
A letter from Kym's GP, addressed to the housing association in January, reads: "I would appreciate your urgent assessment and management of the home conditions for Kym's son and his family.
"I have seen him today for reduced oxygen levels and a chest infection. The significant damp and mould in the property is likely to be the main causation for this acute infection and is very likely to happen again unless the damp is resolved.
"There are three children residing in the property who are all sleeping downstairs due to the poor living conditions. They are all at risk of respiratory problems unless this is resolved."
Most of the family’s possessions upstairs had to be stored in bin bags and boxes but anything that wasn’t covered became riddled with mould.
"My son is being bullied at school because our neighbours have taken pictures of the mouldy furniture we've been told to keep in our garden and have put it on social media," Kym said.
She added: "My stress levels are so high it's affecting me physically. I am the only one sleeping upstairs now as there's no more room and I'm starting to get really sick.
"I am scared to be on my own because I'm frightened one of my kids is going to choke because they are coughing so much. The coughs aren't going away and I'm panicking."
Kym has gotten so desperate she instructed the help of a solicitor but says no agreement has been reached.
Earlier last month she threatened to go to her local paper and shortly after sending the email claims she was told by Clarion that she could be moved from the property a week before Christmas so the mould could be cleaned and painted over.
She has accepted to be temporarily moved from the house in January, but fears without proper repairs to the property, the mould and damp will return once she moves back in.
Kym said: "I've been contacting them for nearly two years about this issue and only when I threatened to go to the newspapers did someone finally acknowledge my emails.
"I have no faith that when I move back into the house the issue is going to be resolved. I just want to be rehomed permanently."
A spokesperson for Clarion said: "The wellbeing of Ms Austin and her children is our absolute priority and we are committed to removing the mould and resolving this situation as soon as possible.
"We have previously made several offers to undertake the work and move the household during this time. Senior colleagues will contact her as a priority again on the 29th November to do everything in our power to agree a time for completing the work earlier, which will take around a week to complete."
