Poole mum says mouldy flat is making son ill (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Poole mum says mouldy flat is making son ill
9:00am Sunday 27th January 2013 in News By Juliette Astrup
DESPERATE: Mum Carrie Burnett with two year old son Jack who has serious asthma which she says is being made worse by the damp in their flat
A DESPERATE Poole mum says her mouldy council flat has worsened her two-year-old’s severe asthma – and could lead to yet another life-threatening attack.
Carrie Burnett, 34, has been warned by her doctor that the unhealthy conditions she is living could be dragging down little Jack’s health.
Since living there, he has been hospitalised four times following asthma attacks.
His medication has been upped twice in a bid to control the symptoms. He takes steroids morning and night and 10 puffs on his inhaler every four hours.
His mum is so concerned that she, Jack and her nine-year-old twins are sleeping on mattresses in the hall – the driest place in the house.
She has made repeated requests to be moved and her GP wrote to the Borough of Poole.
She told the Echo: “Jack has spent more time in hospital than out of hospital since we moved here. It’s severely worsened since we’ve been here.”
The toddler, born two and a half months prematurely, has been in hospital upwards of 20 times, frequently rushed there by ambulance, and once by air ambulance. His mum gave up work as a swimming teacher to care for him.
“I just want somewhere safe for my children,” she added.
“I have asked them time and again to come and see how this is impacting my children.”
The mum-of-three said when she moved in, there was a damp smell in one room – but the extent of the problem quickly became apparent.
She says the internal walls are covered in mould, the carpets damp, her furniture crumbling and her clothes ruined.
“I feel like I want to sleep in the car. It’s hard work to keep going,” she added.
Sarah Sherran, housing support manager at the Borough of Poole, said there had been ‘no previous complaints of damp and moulding’. The council visited the flat in December and discovered a problem with blocked pipes.
She added: “Remedial work was undertaken immediately. However, as Ms Burnett was informed, it will take a few weeks to dry out completely. She has been given advice and support to manage this including the supply of a dehumidifier, payment towards its running cost and as a gesture of goodwill, contribution to replacement furniture.”
Carrie has been prioritised on the housing register. Since her initial contact with the Echo, she has also been offered temporary accommodation – but to move would mean her housing need would be reassessed and could be downgraded.
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