Mum fears for her children's health in mouldy council flat

Kaylee Tomlinson, 25, moved into the council flat in Ilfield Drive, Crawley, three years ago when she had her first son.

She said her family had been plagued with problems ever since.

The 25-year-old lives with her fiancée Cameron, 21, a plasterer and their sons Bobbi, three and Byron, one.

They have had to sleep in one bedroom together for five months because of the fungus.

She said: “Bobbi sleeps on a mattress on the floor and Byron sleeps in bed with me and Cameron has to sleep on the sofa because the kids’ bedroom is so bad they can’t sleep in there.

“The cost of having to throw away furniture has got to more than £1,000.

“I knew there was a mould issue before I moved in but the council said it had been sorted. I had to take the flat as I was pregnant – I didn’t realise how bad it really was.

“In my eyes I think no one should be put in a house or flat with mould. I am living here with my family and it is unfair for us to be living like this – I want to be moved.”

After spotting the mould in Bobbi’s bedroom, when he was five months old, the couple called the council.

Kaylee said: “They sent someone over a couple of times to paint the walls but it just came back. The walls need to be knocked down, but the council said they can’t do this.”

The couple became more alarmed when their second son, Bryon, who was ten months old at the time, had to be taken to hospital with bronchitius.

Kaylee said: “The mould was really bad at this point and I had to keep taking him to the doctors because his temperature was high.

“I called the council but they kept saying it was nothing to do with the mould.”

Cameron is asthmatic and suffers from Raynaud’s disease, which causes some areas of the body – such as fingers and toes – to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress.

He said the mould had caused ‘upset and strain’ on the pair’s relationship.

“The housing manager managed to get us on a bidding list to help us get out but there is only two properties we would be allowed and we are so far down on the list that we have no chance,” he said.

A council spokesman said: “We are aware of the issues at this property and have been in regular contact with Miss Tomlinson.

There are no building defects and we’ve undertaken anti-mould works and installed new extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom.

“We have also offered advice, including the use of heating at night to help manage condensation in the flat.

“We will be visiting in the coming months to work with Miss Tomlinson to reduce the condensation issue.”

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