A PREGNANT woman said that the abundance of black mould in her social house is making her unwell - and she has to sleep on her sofa to avoid mould mites.
Louisa May lives in a flat on Silverdale Street in Barrow owned by the housing association Accent Homes.
Ms May shared photos of the mould covering her wall and around her windows.
She said: "I'm seven to eight months pregnant, and since last November I’ve had nothing but ongoing issues with black mould. They keep coming and “washing it” but it keeps coming back within a week or two of it being cleaned.
"This has now resulted in mould mites in my bedroom, resulting in me staying on my living room sofa at 31 weeks pregnant. I’ve been waiting over two months for a contractor to come out and fix a heating ventilator to help vent the place out - as they believe that’s the issue - they told me I would only be waiting four weeks, and two to three months later I’m still sat here in the same conditions.
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"The black mould is making me ill, and putting myself and my unborn daughter's health at serious risk. They’ve refused to refund me any rent and refused to give me any compensation as they’re “trying to resolve the matter."
A spokesperson from Accent Homes replied: "Accent takes reports of damp and mould very seriously, and we treat it accordingly.
"Accent has been in contact with the customer at this property since November 2022 to support them with maintenance and guidance in line with our policies. This has included attending the customer’s home to carry out repair and maintenance works, and an inspection by our maintenance surveyor, who provided the customer with advice and support on the prevention of damp and mould.
"Following that inspection, in April this year, Accent arranged for a ventilation system to be fitted at the property and the contractor has spoken with the customer and agreed dates for this work to be done. We can also confirm that a contractor has arranged to attend the property on 1 June to treat any mould in advance of this further work being carried out later in the month.
"We will continue to stay in contact with the customer to make sure all necessary work is completed satisfactorily."
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