Mansfield pensioner fuming at council over mould in her property

Pam Foster, 66, lives in bungalows for disabled council tenants on the Oak Tree estate and has been combating mould at her property for more than a year.

Ms Foster, of Sawley Drive, has been forced to replace cabinets, floors and walls from out of her own pocket after “black mould” started to appear throughout the property.

Her son has also had a pair of Nike Air Max shoes and a sat-nav “rotting” under his metal bed, and the ceilings continue to show signs of damp despite visits from inspectors.

But the pensioner says she has been told by the council that she has to fund it all herself, because inspectors visiting her house say the damp has been caused by “condensation” from her indoor clothes washer.

Ms Foster says this is "impossible”, because she regularly dries her clothes on an airer in the conservatory and because her drier collects water internally rather than letting out steam.

She said: “I’ve had to replace floors, walls and cabinets because of the mould, but I simply can’t afford to keep paying for it.

“The ceilings have got black mould on them and the carpets in the bedrooms need to be replaced.

“The council says it is my fault because I’m drying my clothes in the house. This isn’t true and I’ve explained this to them when they came.

“It’s impossible that I’ve caused it because I always use the clothes horse in the conservatory, and my drier inside collects water inside and doesn’t release water into the environment.

“I’ve showed them this but I don’t seem to be listened to, and inspectors from Envirotech have even mentioned to me that my walls are saturated and show signs of asbestos.

“There’s nothing I can do anymore, and I feel the council isn’t listening to me when I tell them it’s not my fault.”

Mike Robinson, strategic director at the council, confirmed inspectors had visited Ms Foster’s house.

He said: “An inspection was carried out on November 25 to assess damp/mould within a council property on Sawley Drive.

“A low reading of damp was found on a wall while portable dehumidifiers had collected water, which shows condensation is an issue.

“Following the assessment, a programme of work has been agreed which includes the installation of vents in the bedroom, floor insulation, a humidity extractor fan in the kitchen and a ventilation unit in the hall to help circulate air. Any mould within the property will then be treated.”