Fiona Kirkwood said she has been left feeling “depressed” due to “horrendous” mould spoiling her furniture and blackening her walls and windows
A local council has been slammed by a mum who has faced “years of hell due to a mouldy home” – and is now considering “camping in the winter.”
Mum-of-three Fiona Kirkwood lives at home with sons Lewis, 20, Jack, 18, Harry, 16, and her boyfriend, whose children Leo, eight, and Jack, six visit every other weekend. However, she has been left feeling “depressed'” due to “horrendous” mould spoiling her furniture and blackening her walls and windows.
The fed-up mum is considering camping outside in the cold this winter with her family because the issue has become so bad. And Ms Kirkwood has blasted her local council in Southampton, Hants, because ‘nothing has been done to try to help’ her.
Mould first blighting her home two years ago and contractors carried out repairs and damp-proofing, but the problem returned just months later and is getting progressively worse. Now she feels she is being ignored by Southampton City Council.
Ms Kirkwood said: “It’s come back with a vengeance, it’s ten times worse. There is damp everywhere – under my bed, on the sofa. We’ve had to have a new sofa as it was covered in mould. Sometimes I feel like it’s warmer outside than inside my house.
“I feel so depressed about it. Nothing has been done to try to help, except offering me advice about keeping my windows open. It’s been hell, just horrendous, It’s freezing cold and damp and it’s really getting me down. It’s affecting my relationships and I don’t even want to be at home. I’d rather stay away. I’d rather camp outside than live at that house.”
A spokesperson for Southampton City Council said they take reports of mould “seriously” and would inspect her home, it said: “We are sorry that [Ms Kirkwood] has been experiencing mould related problems in her home.
“As a responsible social landlord, we take reports of mould and damp at our properties seriously. We are in contact with [Ms Kirkwood] to arrange a visit to inspect her property at a time most convenient for her, and we will work with [Ms Kirkwood] to rectify the problems in her home.
“We know that this is a concern across the country, and the council is committed to addressing every issue of damp and mould that we are aware of.”
