JEFF Charlton is the man known as the go-to man for disaster analysis. You may have seen him on Sky News as a pundit during the countless floods we have had to endure. He has also been in a number of television programmes that, when you discover they are called: “Help my house is falling down”, tell their own story.
Jeff picked up on the campaigning in Thurrock by Ockendon resident, Deirdre Lodge.
Jeff and his company Building Forensics became interested in the work of Deirdre but also whether the work being put in by Thurrock Council was going to be truly effective.
Jeff went to visit Deirdre and for a nominal fee undertook an assessment of her property.
Before he did so, YT spoke to Jeff to assess what he thought of the council’s work and whether his work could offer a more effective solution.
For further information, go to http://www.buildingforensics.co.uk
It was an absolute pleasure meeting Jeff, at last someone I could speak to who knows what they are talking about. as I have always tried to tell TBC, mould growth must be risked assessed properly and not just done visually as one inspector recently did in my home, unfortunatly I was away in Hosp fighting for my breath MOULD RELATED.
I had an interesting conversation were Jeff told me that last November he wrote a desktop exercise and presented it at a National Emergency Conference, he worked with the Cabinet Office and HPA and other government Agencies, he used a mould toxin as a terrorist weapon and it was excepted by the whole commitee because it is a known WMD.
Just recently I had contact with Jackie Doyle Price she asked me how well was TBC doing with dealing with residents problems with mould, well quiet frankly I have nothing to come back with apart from TBC housing managers and officers congratulating themselves with regard to the Flowers Estate, it is shameful, they have a lot to learn and until they start to listen people lives are at risk. As Jeff has stated the heat recovery units will reduce the moisture from the air but will not get rid of the mould. I have often complained even at full council that TBC Enviromental Officers are not qualified to assess the properties with mould, some even downgrade it to a 3 or 4.
Jeff has just done a survey in my home, I as an expert on livivng with mould thought I had got rid of it because I could not see it, guess what I still have high contamination in my home.
If TBC want to get to grips with the mould issues as I believe Barbara Brownlee does, they need to work with the experts and not rely on their own resorces.
Deirdre Lodge
Toxic Mould Campaigner
At last a knowledgable person on the subject who speaks in terms we can all understand and relate too. Mr Charlton appears to have no hidden agenda i.e he is not seeking election to public office or seeking to sell a product, he seems to be motivated by a genuine concern for the health and safety of those exposed to the dangers of toxic”black” mould. Unlike the Council he does not blame the occupants as the only cause of damp and mould in their homes as the result of “bad” practices in their style of living. I hope his interview with Michael Casey will be seen and listened to by our MP Jackie Doyle-Price, Polly Billington and every Councillor and Council Officer with responsibility for Housing and Health and Safety and they will read his report and.give it serious consideration. Readers of my “blogs” will know that over the past 2 years I have repeatedly urged the Council to look for possible causes of damp and mould, for which the Council has a responsibility to remedy, such as ventilation, damp corsing and exterior pointing which are no longer fit for purpose and need replacing or repairing, so it was particularly gratifying that Mr Charlton made mention of them, along with wall cavity insulation as a possible exacerbation of the problem, again a likely cause I have been urging the Council to investigate.
The intensity of concern over this issue, particularly in Thurrock, is entirely due to Mrs Deirdre Lodge and her campaign to make people aware of the dangers of “toxic” mould. Well done Deirdre!
P.S. Note to Belhus Councillors. Do you still claim that mould is not a serious threat to health that it is only a Category 3 hazard and anybody who claims it to be a category 1 hazard, including The Secretary-of-State for Health, is scaremongering?