Mould-infested flat forces woman to use inhaler ‘every half hour’

Tia-Maria Thornbury said she first noticed signs of damp within days of moving into the council-managed flats on Buckhurst Crescent, Swindon, two years ago

(Swindon Advertiser / SWNS)

A woman living in a mould-infested council flat says the damp conditions mean she has to use her asthma inhaler ‘every half hour’.

Tia-Maria Thornbury said she first noticed signs of damp within days of moving into the council-managed flats on Buckhurst Crescent, Swindon, Wiltshire, two years ago.

But despite raising concerns with the council and getting the apartment cleaned, she said the green-black grime keeps returning all over her kitchen, bedroom and living room walls and ceilings.

After going away with her partner for Christmas, she returned to find the mould now covered her living room carpet, she claims.

And after inspecting the rest of the flat, noticed black marks on the underside of her mattress, she said.

She says the damp is making her asthma worse and the stress of living in a property she thinks is unsafe maybe taking aggravating a pre-existing heart condition.

Tia said: “I feel helpless and furious. This is wrong. It’s a nightmare.

“The air inside the flat is awful so I have to use my inhaler every half hour.

“My partner called an ambulance one day because I couldn’t breathe.

“The mould has ruined my furniture and I can’t use the living room at all but my guinea pigs are in there, which worries me.

“The council have only been out once or twice to clean since I moved in.

“They always say the mould won’t come back and then it does. Last I heard, they can’t sort the carpets out until January or February.

“The flat looked okay on the day I moved in but on day two or three, I started seeing damp come through the walls.

“I’m paying nearly £700 a month to live in these conditions, it’s not right.

“Everyone who comes round is shocked at the state of the place - it’s not liveable. I need to get out of here.”

When approached for comment, a Swindon Borough Council spokesman said it would not be responding as it is working with the tenant to resolve the problem.

It is understood staff from the local authority have since dropped off a dehumidifier for the living room.

Tia said the housing team was going to replace her mattress and the walls were going to be cleaned.