Demands to be rehomed over damp

Ross Burbage, his partner and two sons have lived in the house in Princes Street for nearly five years, and have put up with a bad damp problem since the day they moved in.

Ross – who has damp in every room of the house – said he and his partner suffer constant colds and his son has developed asthma because of their living conditions.

“My eldest son developed asthma not long after we moved in and even the doctor said the damp could be the cause,” he said.

Ross said he and his partner suffer frequent colds, which he puts down to the damp problem.

“Before I moved there it was very rare for me to get ill. I’m getting colds and coughs every other month – it’s constant, even through summer. My partner’s the same and kids have constant snotty noses.”

The 28 year-old, has re-plastered the lounge and re-decorated using specialist damp-proof materials – all at his own cost to try and improve the problem.

But he said he is fighting a losing battle because the damp just keeps coming back.

Ross recently sent Broxtowe Borough Council a letter from his doctor and photos of the inside of the house, and he has now been moved up the priority list to be rehomed.

But he said it is not enough because he could be waiting another five years before he gets moved into another property.

“It’s still not good enough because we’ve still got 10 or 12 people in front of us and that can take years.

The council has recently fitted electric fans in affected properties and Ross said the problem had improved.

But he said it is ‘too little too late’ because he knows the damp will return.

“It gets sorted and then the damp comes back. Every time it gets done we decorate at our own cost and then it comes back again and again.

“It’s getting worse and worse. The fans have helpeda lot but it will come back. It will come back. We are fighting a losing battle. They (the council) are dragging their heels with it. They are never ever going to sort the properties. They need thousands spent on them. “Ideally all these houses need knocking down and rebuilding.”

A Broxtowe Borough Council spokesperson said: “The council takes the wellbeing of its residents very seriously and is aware of Mr Burbage’s case. Housing officers would be happy to carry out a damp inspection to reassess the situation and agree on a course of action to alleviate any issues.”

Do you live on Princes Street? Have you got a problem with damp? Email [email protected] or tell us on facebook.