Leeds family living in council flat ‘pooled with water’ amid claims damp and mould issues date back two years

Daniel Morton and his partner Hannah Crossley said they have been battling spreading damp and mould problems in their Leeds City Council-owned home in Farnley for more than two years.

They said the issues were aggravating Mr Morton’s asthma symptoms and that black mould had even spread to Ms Crossley’s one-year-old son’s cot bed.

A council spokesperson said the local authority takes all complaints “about the safety and quality of our homes seriously”, and that a senior officer in its Damp and Mould Team was arranging a visit to remove “any hazards” from the property.

It comes just six months after the council carried out work at the flat to stop the rot.

Mr Morton told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "The council did come out [in May] after a lot of nagging, but all they did was remove the plaster halfway up the wall.

"There are square concrete bricks behind the plaster with air bubbles that appear to be causing the rising damp."

Following the repair work, Mr Morton said that mould and damp had reappeared within three months and, by September, had spread along the walls and onto their belongings.

He said: "Currently, the living room floor is soaking wet where the exterior outer walls are by the skirting board.

"My one-year-old stepson's bedroom is continuously pooled with water on the floor that's near another exterior wall. [In] our bedroom, we've got mould going up the wall and his cot bed has got black mould all underneath."

If you’d like to receive more stories like this and the latest news from Leeds, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

He claimed the damp had worsened his asthma symptoms and led to other health concerns. Mr Morton said he had raised the recurrence of the damp issues with the council but had not received a call-out.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council told the YEP: “We take all complaints about the safety and quality of our homes seriously, and we are working with the residents to ensure that any outstanding issues are properly addressed. 

“We have carried out extensive works at the property earlier this year. In  September, further reports of damp were made and following reassessment, some new works were ordered which are awaiting completion within appropriate timescales.”

“A senior officer in our Damp and Mould Team is contacting the resident to arrange a further visit to ensure that the works identified are fully addressing all the issues, including urgent removal of any hazards."

The spokesperson added: “We encourage all residents who identify damp and mould in their homes to contact us if they are unable to control the problems themselves or if they have any concerns about their health."