A young mum-of-two living in a damp and mouldy house in Wishaw fears for her children’s health because of the "unbelievable" conditions.
Demi Hislop, 22, is mum to a four-year-old son, Jayden, and a one-year-old girl, Ava, and is due to give birth to a third child in less than a month.
The family have been living in their ground-level four-in-a-block cottage-type home at Pentland Court in the Wishawhill area of the town for less than four years, and not too long after Demi moved in she realised there were problems with damp.
She said: “My kids are never away from the doctors with chest infections and I believe it’s down to living like this. I’m so fed-up that I don’t even want to stay here anymore, especially with another baby on the way.
“I moved in around August 2019 and it seemed okay at first but less than a year later I started finding damp patches and black mould.
“They sent an inspector out and said it was condensation. The walls have been stripped right back to the brickwork and re-plastered but it hasn’t made a difference. It’s been all over the walls, ceilings, and carpet.
“When I was getting out the hospital with my daughter her car seat was brought up from the house and it was covered in mould. It’s really bad.
"It’s unbelievable. There are ants or some sort of insects crawling out of the door frame.
“I want them to move me to a home that’s damp and mould free, for the sake of my children’s health. We shouldn’t have to be living like this.
“My next door neighbour through the wall has a problem with damp in her house as well.”
Demi’s mum Carol Smith has been taking her grandson, Demi’s son Jayden, to stay with her due to his health deteriorating.
She said: “His room was especially bad with dampness and black mould, even his mattress was covered in mould.
"There’s been stories on the news about children unwell and dying due to mould, but the conditions they were living in don’t look anywhere near as bad as my daughter’s house."
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said the local authority would continue to work with Demi and were offering assistance to help reduce condensation within the property.
The spokesperson continued: “In March of this year, Ms Hislop contacted us to raise issues with condensation and dampness in her home. An inspection took place during which we identified condensation dampness mould growth.
"Our contractor attended the property and applied mould inhibitor paint to affected walls in both bedrooms.
"Arrangements have been made with our tenant for us to carry out paint work and for our energy team to visit to survey the property and provide advice on effective management of condensation dampness.
“Previously, during the colder months, the tenant has experienced issues with dampness at the property and we have carried out a range of works, including improving ventilation by repairing an extractor fan and trickle vents. External brickwork was also repaired.
“We will continue to work with Ms Hislop to resolve the matter.”
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