KentOnline

bannermobile

News

Sport

Business

What's On

Advertise

Contact

Other KM sites

CORONAVIRUS WATCH KMTV LIVE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTERS LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS LISTEN TO KMFM
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
News

Mum in mouldy Smarden home pleading with Ashford Borough Council to fix damp problems or rehouse her family

By: Sam Lennon slennon@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 05:00, 04 July 2023

Updated: 13:16, 04 July 2023

A mum says her eight-year-old daughter’s bed had to be thrown away after rotting in their damp-ridden home.

Stacey Cosier’s council house in Smarden, near Ashford, has been plagued with mould after a flood next door seven months ago.

The mum-of-two says her son Riley, six, has since developed asthma and has been in and out of hospital with low oxygen levels.

The 28-year-old said: “My children hate it here. It stinks and it’s disgusting. Their bedroom became the worst. There has been mould all over it, which I have to keep cleaning off.”

Miss Cosier had lived in the Chessenden Lane property for eight years with no problems until a water pipe burst in the loft next door in December, with the ceiling collapsing.

mpu1

As a result, damp and mould ended up creeping into her property.

The mum keeps windows open to ventilate the home, and the family’s clothes have to be kept in plastic containers to stop them being infested with mould.

Read more!
Stacey Cosier says tiles have dropped off in her kitchen due to the mould and damp

Miss Cosier said that since December she’s had to carry out five tip runs to get rid of items ruined by the damp, including a bed belonging to her eight-year-old daughter Lily-May.

She said: “I have got tiles hanging off the wall. My children can’t eat out of the cupboards because of the mould – it just stinks.

“My children are suffering. My son now has low oxygen levels due to all of this. He’s constantly in and out of hospital and the doctor’s.”

Miss Cosier says she has been in constant contact with Ashford Borough Council (ABC), asking the authority to deal with the problem.

She said: “I want the council to either sort the house out so it's liveable in or move us because we're not happy here and it’s been going on for so long.”

Mould has crept through the family home. Picture from Stacey Cosier
Mould gathered around piping at the family home. Picture from Stacey Cosier

An ABC spokesman told KentOnline the council knows about the issues at Miss Cosier’s home and are working with her to fix the house.

mpu2

However, Miss Cosier wants to see further action from ABC.

A council spokesman said: “We are aware of the issue at this property and have been working with the tenant to resolve the problem.

“After she first contacted us about this we arranged for a specialist firm to visit her home and carry out an inspection. We arranged for dehumidifiers to be installed to expedite drying out the property and gave advice on their use.”

The spokesman said a further inspection is to be carried out this week.

Stacey Cosier with some of the decor ruined in her house

They added: “If the property is dry we will make arrangements to redecorate and make good anything else that has been damaged.”

If the property is not dry, further action will be taken, the council added.

Read more

More by this author

sticky

© KM Group - 2024