Seven years of mold woes and council battles that won’t go away – South London News

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A mum who lives in a flat with floor to ceiling mold is dreading the school holidays because she doesn’t want her asthmatic children in the property.

Angela Jones claims she has been trying to get Lambeth council to tackle the serious mold problem in her local authority flat for seven years.

The 45-year-old said the problem began in 2017, following catastrophic flooding caused by a water tank bursting in her building and leading to mold in every room of the two-bedroom flat.

She said: “The school holidays are coming up, I’m trying to keep the kids out of the flat because of the mould. It’s ridiculous. They should be able to stay safely in their home. I try to stay at friends’ houses and family houses as much as I can. Winter is coming, I have to leave the windows open.

“I’m exhausted right now. When the apartment first flooded we had no electricity and the mold was so bad. It was black from floor to ceiling. My kids are getting sick because of this house. We’re all asthmatic as it is.”

Ms Jones spent 12 months pushing the council to tackle the mold problem before turning to housing solicitors SJS Legal for her case. Her latest claim against the council was settled in early June, with Lambeth council agreeing to pay her compensation and complete repairs to her flat.

But Ms Jones said the council had so far made limited progress on the work and did not expect to carry out all the repairs before the August deadline.

According to SJS Legal, the council has now dealt with Ms Jones’ claim seven times. On the last six occasions SJS Legal claims Lambeth has failed to carry out the work it had agreed to do. Ms Jones has so far received £8,000 in compensation from the council.

Stephen Weston, senior solicitor at SJS Legal, said: “Angela’s case is heartbreaking. A family left to live in such humid conditions for so long is shocking. We were determined not to give up on helping Angela. She deserves a safe home to raise her children in.”

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “We have carried out extensive work at this property in the past, including repairs and mold washing treatments and decorative work to a number of rooms. Unfortunately, some of the issues have resurfaced and we have rescheduled new work to start next week and be completed within two weeks.”

Pictured above: Angela Jones (centre) and images of bathroom mold affecting her family’s life (Images: Angela Jones)

Related stories