Health fears over Broughton family homes
David O'Leary • Published 29 Oct 2010 09:30
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A YOUNG mum has hit out at a local housing association over health fears for her two young sons.
And her anger comes just days after the same social housing provider attempted to prevent a former neighbour from making further legal claims against them.
Angie Gordon, of Hawdene in Broughton, believes mould growth in her home is causing breathing difficulties in her two-year old son, Jo-Jo and six-month old baby, Jay.
Toddler Jo-Jo is presently suffering from a repeat chest infection while his younger brother has only just shaken one off.
Nurse Angie who lives with husband, Bruce, informed Eildon Housing Association in June about the mould in two upstairs bedrooms.
However no-one has visited to check her claims and she’s still waiting on a response.
She said: “It’s worrying because my boys have both suffered with colds and chest infections. You just don’t know what it is that they are breathing in.
“The mould gets so bad upstairs that we have to open the windows to vent the rooms. This then means we can’t build any heat up in their room.
“I contacted Eildon months ago about this and have heard nothing from then since.”
Mould issues on the estate were first raised earlier this year by Poppy McCourt and her son, Todd, who were forced to leave their property after swab samples taken from the growth on the walls and ceilings tested positive for a whole range of infectious illnesses.
Initially her pleas fell on deaf ears with one housing manager attempting to blame the growth on the position of beds and even Poppy’s breathing in her sleep.
Last week Poppy received a letter from Eildon offering compensation for belongings she had thrown out due to mould damage.
But she was also asked to sign a disclaimer which would stop her from seeking no further compensation - this she refused for fear of developing any future medical problems.
On the swab sample, which Poppy sent for analysis at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s Clinical Bacteriology lab, large numbers of exophiala, penicillium and acremonium species were found.
Each of these is known to cause a wide range of illnesses such as skin infections, breathing difficulties, meningitis and septicaemia - a condition which Poppy herself suffered from last year.
She said: “Eildon have offered me a minimal amount in compensation, barely enough to cover the cost of my belongings.
“There was no way I was signing that disclaimer, where would I be if either of us developed a serious medical problem in the future as a result of this mould?
“I’ve contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau and they assure me I have a solid case for proper compensation. I will not be bullied into just lying down on this.”
This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 29 Oct 10
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