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A mum fears for her baby’s health after being warned by a midwife that her family should not be living in their mould-covered flat.
Security guard Charlotte Snook says every room in her council home in St Mary’s Road, Minster, Thanet, has been blighted by foul-smelling black damp for eight years.
The 33-year-old shares the “tiny” two-bed property with her four children – whose ages range from six months to 13 – and partner Shane Ahmet.
But it is her youngest child, Sienna, she frets about most, after being told by a midwife that the conditions could detrimentally impact her health.
“I worry about my children and the effect it is having on their health loads. I hardly sleep because I just worry,” Ms Snook said.
“My 11-year-old boy’s got asthma, so it probably doesn’t help him at all. But the biggest worry is what the midwife said.
“She came round and saw and smelled it for herself. She said we shouldn’t be living in conditions like this. It’s really scary.”
The midwife wrote to Ms Snook in February, saying she was “concerned that the children (particularly the newborn) are at risk of developing respiratory problems”.
Ms Snook also spends her nights with Sienna in the property’s living room as it has the least mould.
But the midwife said the sleeping arrangement places the baby at “increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome”. She fears the mum could “fall back asleep holding the baby while feeding on the sofa” and unintentionally suffocate the child.
Despite the installation of an extractor fan and vents, the flat remains blighted by the black patches – leaving the family unable to even store clothes in their wardrobes.
“We’ve been fighting it for years,” Ms Snook continued.
“I wash it off regularly and the council have been round to wash it off – but then it comes back within two days.
“It’s affected everything. The kids, especially the older two, are so unhappy – they haven’t got their own space and we can’t put clothes in the cupboards because they’d just get mouldy.
“The edges of the carpets are all wet as well.
“When we do eventually move, we can’t take any of our furniture. It’s ruined everything.”
Ms Snook says she has been trying to secure a move from the Thanet District Council-owned flat “for years”.
The local authority says it is trying to find the family a larger home to move into but is experiencing a housing shortage.
A spokesman said: “We can confirm that we are aware of the circumstances of Charlotte and her family and that we are working with her to try to find her a larger home to move to.
“Like many other places around the country, Thanet is facing a severe shortage of affordable homes to rent and it is not possible to say how long families who are on our waiting list will have to wait.
“Thanet has been building and acquiring new homes for affordable rent and our new housing strategy sets out our commitment to continue to do this, so every family in need has access to the suitable and affordable home they need.”
