A WHITLEY mother says she is living in a council home plagued with mould, leading to her fearing for the health of her two children.
For the past 21 years, Samantha Richards 53, has lived with her sons aged 21 and 12, in a terraced home in Whitley Wood.
But for the past three years, the house had had a problem with mould, and Ms Richards says it has become “too much to bear”.
Walls and windows in her son’s bedrooms, among other rooms, have been badly affected by mould, leading to her throwing away clothing that has been infected with the spores.
Ms Richards, who has worked in retail for 28 years, has pleaded for the council to act.
“There’s mould in my home, consistent disrepair and clumsy organisation,” she said.
“Reading Borough Council just keep on making excuses in order not to sort out the mould.
“They’ve admitted there’s a problem, but they keep making different excuses to stop the repairs being continued.
“They have admitted liability, they should have started repairs.”
She said that mould in the home is having a serious impact on the health of her sons, who have both had chest infections.
She wants to remain in the area and is desperate for the council’s housing team to solve the issue.
Ms Richards said: “My youngest son has been admitted to hospital for breathing difficulties, shingles and suffers from depression, it’s just becoming too much.
“I have been here for 21 years, I love my area and where I live but it’s just getting too much to bear.
“My youngest said ‘I’m frightened to sleep in my room because it may kill me’.”
The mould is so bad in her eldest son’s bedroom that he is sleeping in the dining room.
At one point, a water leak broke lights upstairs, leading Ms Richards to cut off the electricity, which she said was fixed.
However, Ms Richards claims that she was insulted by a worker in the process.
She said: “They came to fix that, but the worker said: ‘at least one repair has been done’ and that I should be grateful for that. How disgusting.”
Her complaint has been raised with the council. A spokesperson stated that staff from its housing team visited in the last week of March to conduct repairs Ms Richards has requested.
The spokesperson said: “The Council visited the property last week to undertake a number of repairs and ascertain the cause of the leak.
“We will continue to work with the tenant to ensure that all mould and damp issues are rectified as quickly as possible, and apologise for any issues and inconvenience caused.”
