'The place we live in is making us poorly'

10:38am Friday 23rd February 2007

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A BRIDPORT family who have waited 18 months for something to be done about damp in their flat say it is making them ill.

Nicola Kelly, 22, and Russell Weller, 21, spent nine months sharing a three-bedroom house with nine adults and a baby after becoming homeless.

Raglan Housing finally found them a flat in Doctor Roberts Close - and 18 months later they are still waiting for something to be done about the damp.

Nicola said: "My daughter has had 11 chest infections since we moved in and been on antibiotics six times. Before, she never had a cough or a cold.

"My partner has never had so many chest infections and flus and colds, and I keep getting lung infections. My doctor is adamant it is because of the damp. He said it is extremely bad and we shouldn't being living here."

The bathroom is so damp the shower curtains, toys, bath seats, towels and mats grow black mould overnight. She said: "We can't even keep our toothbrushes in there overnight. I am on my fourth shower curtain, I have had six or seven bath mats go black."

The sealant by the French doors has rotted with the damp, letting rain and wind in. The damp ruins the curtains and Nicola has to keep towels at the bottom to keep the draughts out.

She added: "When we moved in all the bathroom used to do was flood, and they changed the bath.

"The first person who came to change the bath said I had mould because I was not a clean person.

"I scrub daily with anti-fungal disinfectant. I have even got anti-fungal paint from Jewsons. My gas bill has gone up by at least £4 a week with the heat just disappearing through the back doors.

"The water drips through the doors when it's raining. I get to the point where I just want to cry, it's so bad. These properties aren't even five years old."

Phil Sweet, regional director of Raglan, said they had addressed a condensation issue in the bathroom last year.

"Following a call last month our surveyor inspected the property, identified another condensation problem and arranged for our service contractor to fit a dehumidistat fan in the bathroom and treat the affected walls.

"This work should have been completed on February 20 and we are investigating why this has not happened.

"We have agreed the work is necessary and our priority now is to ensure it is completed as soon as possible and to Miss Kelly's satisfaction."