Water runs down every wall... I'm losing the will to live'

LAUREN Yeo starts her Tuesday the same way she has every other morning for almost seven years scrubbing mould off the walls in her son's bedroom.

- CHARLOTTE HALL

Despite a heavy-duty dehumidifier, spray-on treatments and endless calls to her housing association, nothing stops the bone-chilling damp seeping in - nor the recurrent mould from ruining her son's clothes, mattress and all of his stuffed toys.

"It makes me feel sick. And it makes me feel like a failure," she said. "One of the basic things you should be able to do for your kids is keep them warm." Ever since she moved into her house in Fallowfield in 2016, Lauren has reported severe issues with her home.

But she claims Jigsaw Homes Group, her housing association, have offered her nothing but superficial solutions and "cowboy contractors".

That's despite the cold and damp affecting her 13-year-old son Kyle, who has autism and is sensitive to environmental changes, and her partner who suffers with asthma.

The mum-of-two is far from alone in her struggle against poor quality housing. Ever since the tragic death of twoyear-old Awaab Ishak from mould exposure in his home in Rochdale raised awareness of the issue, many people have come forward with stories of neglectful landlords.

Awaab's Law, which was passed at the end of last year after a campaign by the M.E.N. and local MPs, now requires landlords to address urgent maintenance issues within two weeks of reporting. But Lauren claims she is still waiting for many of the issues in her home to be resolved - and after more than seven years of heartache, she is done with waiting.

"Since day one, it's been damp and cold in Kyle's room," she said. "I do everything I can. He's got a fleece quilt, two extra quilts on top, and it's still freezing.

"There's water running down his walls. His clothes smell of damp. His bed smells of damp." "It smells like mushrooms," Kyle agreed. Asked how his room made him feel, he simply said "sad".