A terrified mum-of-four has spoken out after her baby ended up in hospital with breathing difficulties, and says doctors blamed her 'stinking, mouldy' housing association home for his illness.
Laura Bowers says she has been complaining to Epic Housing for over two years about the mould in her home, but she has now decided to go public after the death of toddler Awaab Ishak due to mould in his family's rented home.
She told Stoke on Trent Live she feels "anxious and guilty" over the "disgusting" state of her house.
She described foul black mould covering the property, climbing up walls and infesting furniture and cupboards, as well as soggy rotten floors - while Epic Housing claims there is nothing they can do.
But the situation remains and little Sampson ended up in hospital earlier this year. Epic Housing has confirmed it is aware of the case.
Laura moved into the Bentilee property in July 2020 and since then she has asked for help from the housing association multiple times, but to no avail.
“It’s the rising mould. It’s not like the condensation, it's going up the wall, it’s black mould. It’s all in the kitchen, all in the cupboards, and behind the washing machine is covered in black mould. It all stinks,” Laura said.
"They put mould treatment on and it has not fixed it. The mould has just got worse growing all up the walls and it has gone onto my sofa. They’ve done it four or five times and it is still not working. They put vents in a few weeks back. They say there’s nothing else we can do.”
Laura redecorated when she moved in only for the mould to damage her furniture and floors.
She added: “The flooring is terrible. It’s all bubbling underneath. It’s rotten up one side, it’s going round the room - you can feel it underneath. I broke down the other week. I’ve got a sideboard unit which I pulled away to put my Christmas tree up and it was covered at the back. My sofa is covered in mould. When I get rid, where are my family going to sit?
“My son was in hospital with respiratory issues. He’s got a rare blood condition so we have to be extra-careful with him. He had to have two transfusions when he was born. It's something to do with his red blood cells. They’re doing blood checks to try to find out what is going on.
“He’s been struggling with his breathing. It’s an upper respiratory problem on his chest. He’s so young. A doctor has said he’s got another upper respiratory infection and that it is due to the damp and the mould spores in the property.
“When you hear stories like the one about the little boy who died it is really scary. I'm always anxious and frustrated, it makes me feel guilty for the kids. It is disgusting.”
Epic Housing is continuing to tackle the issue.
An Epic Housing spokesman said: "We are aware of the issues being experienced by the tenant and have previously put in place solutions to rectify. We are in regular contact with the tenant and will be continuing to work and support them in resolving any outstanding issues."
