Damp and mould affects 20% of homes in Scotland

(First Edition)

ONE IN FIVE of Scotland's houses are affected by either dampness, serious condensation or have related mould growth problems, writes James Cusick.

The findings, which will confirm many of the worst fears of local authorities in Scotland, were published yesterday as part of the first national survey of Scotland's 2 million homes.

The survey, ordered by the Government in 1989, estimates that 94,000 houses in Scotland are below the Scottish Office's own acceptability standard. One of the key findings was that 267,000 homes showed evidence of dampness, 37,000 had serious condensation, and 357,000 had condensation which was described as 'inconvenient but tolerable'.

Peter McKinlay, chief executive of Scottish Homes, the national housing development agency, said the report 'reinforced our concerns about the state of Scotland's housing stock'.

Scottish Housing Conditions Survey 1991 (Preliminary Findings), Homes, Haymarket, Edinburgh.