YOU KEEP contacting us and we will keep coming along and filming it.
This week we went along to Broxburn Drive in South Ockendon to visit Lisa Elson.
Lisa, her partner and their two cats live in a small one bedroom flat.
Speaking to Lisa, her health has declined sharply as the mould has set in, with water running down the walls and her bed soaked.
In her own words…..
I am amazed that we are still no further on with regard to our mouldy homes.
Lisa, as the campaign leader for the Health effects of living with mould.
Mould does not always affect those that are Healthy but there is growing evidence that this might not now be the case.
In your interview, you suggest that you have recently had throat surgery, you are a prime candidate to be infected by mould, and I would suggest that you take this very seriously, it is a known fact that Public Health and Thurrock Council are aware of the complications of mould and you having surgery the likely hood you are now suffering from Aspergillus/mould in your throat, I am not sure if your husband suffers any health problems but it does sound to me that he is having an allergic reaction to the mould like thousand of tenants across Thurrock, especially young children whose immune system has not yet developed and are struggling with Asthma, recent studies have shown this to be fact.
The health of your two cats comes down to the fact they are living with mould and will also be affected as humans are, Vets are aware of Aspergillus and would advise you to discuss this with them. Antibiotics will NOT help your cats this will only feed the mould, they will need a course of Anti Fungal medication.
The housing stock across Thurrock that has already been detected by TBC suffering from mould is as follows. TBC Report
Corringham 147
Fobbing 8
Grays 927
Tilbury 1231
South Ockendon 1050
Purfleet 256
Aveley 200
Chadwell 133
West Thurrock 101
You are quiet right Lisa when you say you are not the only person living with mould in Broxburn Drive, it is in fact 258 properties.
In Belhus alone there are 663 properties that are in need of attention/mould.
Can I ask you did you contact your Belhus ward councillors? Cllr Wendy Curtis is Chair of the Health and Well Being /Damp and Mould in Housing Stock and Cllr Sue Gray is also on this Committee, Cllr Charlie Curtis also holds a position on the Housing Committee. It seems that these Councillors have let you down and you must now suffer the consequences as hundreds are in Belhus.
You also say the mould appeared two months after you moved in.
If a home is in the void stage it is TBC policy that the works on the property is dealt with and brought up to the standard of fit to let, which in your case it was not.
The Housing Manager who over see’s these properties needs to refer to the Health and Safety Law, which requires a risk assessment on such properties and to decide if they are fit to let.
It seems Mears are no better than Morrison, and choose to do a quick paint over the mould knowing full well it will return, by doing just this the Contractor will have a steady income for years to come. Where is the warranty on the works they provide for removing the mould? Are TBC content that this company have fully trained Mould specialist doing this work? There are some serious questions to be answered from TBC, if they cannot get it right what hope is there for Thurrock Tenants. TBC stop wasting tax payers money on firms that are only qualified to do repairs ie Toilet seats etc , for the sake of your tenants get it right and do it right by employing those that are qualified.
I live in East Sussex and like you Lisa, myself, my family and cats have been suffering from dreadful ill health as a result of mould. Mould is a class 1 hazard, in the same category as asbestos. We have been fighting to get this recognised for a long time. I want to be blunt here to alert you – mould is a ticking time bomb for your health. I know this because we are experiencing it. There is masses of evidence on the internet from people suffering like us. Fight with all your might!
Any landlord has a duty of care and if they are not dealing with the problem properly, then the are not meeting their duty.
The only way to get rid of the mould as you say, is to remove the source and that requires full remediation by a specialist company. It is a costly procedure for the council but it is their duty and perhaps if they had built the homes properly in the first place, then they would not be facing those bills.
There are many eyes over the country watching the tragic mould stories here on Your Thurrock.
Just thought I would update you for the purpose of bringing the importance of urgent action needed. Sadly one of our cats passed away from suspected pulmonary hemorrhage. He was getting very sick, like us, from the mould spores he was inhaling. We are devastated
When will this country listen?????