"Aggressive mould" puts Mansfield mum and daughter in hospital and destroys £5,000 of belongings

Amylee Pincott, 33, says "aggressive mould" has created "toxic conditions" in the three-bed bungalow she shares with daughters, 16 and 11.

Mould began to take over following a leak in the roof of the property in September after a wet room was installed by contractors.

Despite repeated calls to her letting agent - and a letter to her landlord - it spread through the home, for which she pays £725 a month to rent.

In early November her eldest daughter visited her GP and was found to have fluid in her chest, nose and ears due to the damp conditions, she says.

And in late November Amylee says her daughter was rushed to hospital as she was struggling to breathe.

Then Amylee says her bedroom ceiling fell through in March - and while this has been repaired, mould is still growing throughout their home in Mansfield.

Amylee, who suffers from immune conditions and a brain injury, says she is vulnerable to damp and mould. She says she used mould spray and ventilated and heated the property but says significant work including replacing the roof was required. She believes more than £5k worth of property has been damaged - including clothes, shoes and furniture.

Amylee said: “We’re living in toxic living conditions with aggressive mould. They were made aware at a very early stage I have anaemia and no immune system and a brain injury.

"They are aware I have health conditions that make me more vulnerable than other people. I'm not angry, I’m sad more than anything – I hate that I’ve had to watch my children go through this for such a long time now.

“We’ve lost clothes, my daughter’s cheerleading outfits, shoes, my £3k sofa was covered in mould - there's been at least £5k worth of damaged property. The letting agents said it was only 'a bit of mould' even though we had to call an ambulance."

Following the installation of a wet room in September, she noticed water coming into the property via the roof and says mould started growing rapidly.

She says she told letting agents Whitegates Estates and Lettings in a phone call in September and began sending them photos of the damage in October.

When no action was taken, she says she made a written complaint to the letting agents and landlord in early December after her eldest daughter was rushed to hospital.

The landlord came to visit the property in January to assess the extent of the problem. However, she says still no action was taken until March – when the ceiling of her bedroom fell through the day after Amylee had undergone bladder surgery. Despite works now being carried out to repair the roof, Amylee says it should have happened sooner.

She says she “pleaded for help and empathy” but felt she was ignored. Three weeks ago the landlord replaced the roof on the property and has mould treated the home. But she says the property still needs redecorating.

“I’ve pleaded for help and empathy, and we’ve had nothing – it's left me feeling like I’ve been walked over,” said Amylee.

“Seeing me struggle has affected my children. I've been very patient and mentally it’s cost us so much. They could have done more sooner, and they chose not too and that’s what is sad about the situation.

“Now they've had no choice but to start work on the property – but it’s not finished, there’s still damage.”

A spokesperson for Whitegates said: "When the tenant advised the work carried out was not fit for purpose and had caused damage, we worked with the landlord to act to resolve this situation for the tenant.

"It is disappointing that the tenant was not provided with good service from the original contractor which very unfortunately led to extensive damage with the flooding causing damp in the property.

"The landlord bore the cost to rectify the issue and to provide a safe environment for the tenant to reside and continues to support the tenant in this matter."