A man who has been waiting ten years for a house move was wrongly told by a housing boss the new home offered was free of mould.

Alex Gordon, 66, has a long history of illness related to a mould allergy and has been requesting a move on health grounds.

The Glasgow Times highlighted his case earlier this year revealing his long wait for a suitable property.

READ MORE: Severely ill man in TEN YEAR wait to get move from mouldy Glasgow flat

Now, Mr Gordon has been offered a flat nearby and he asked for assurances it was safe to move to.

Glasgow Times:

He was told by Aisling Mylrea, director of Wheatley Homes Glasgow, in a letter: “ I can confirm that there is no mould in this property.”

She then said Wheatley would be happy to arrange an independent consultant report to verify this.

The landlord also said it would redecorate the flat and meet any reasonable costs.

The report, by Robert Horne, of Damp Detectives Ltd, however, found considerable levels of mould in the bathroom.

He said the smell was so bad he had to stop working in the room.

Wheatley said it was unaware of any mould until it received the inspection report.

READ MORE: Tenant claims 'ultimatum' given to sign disclaimer to get house move

Mr Horne said: “There were two layers of vinyl under which was a layer of plywood which had completely delaminated and rotted with damp.

“On the surface of the plywood was a covering of a black mould which is being analysed. 

“The odour from the mould was so strong that I was affected by it after a few minutes and had to take a break for fresh air. 

“Both myself and the air analysts told the housing officer that the contents of the bathroom had to be removed and all the affected timber taken out and could be done before the report would be completed as we would be saying that in our individual reports anyway. 

“Obviously the flat in its present condition is unsuitable for a tenant.”

Wheatley Homes Glasgow said it is working to resolve the issues.

A spokesperson said: “We carried out an initial inspection, which did not identify any issues in the flat.

“Following the results of the independent survey carried out by the tenant, we’ve agreed to a further inspection of an area of flooring under the bath.

“The tenant can be assured we take all reports of damp and mould very seriously and will fix any issues very quickly.”

Mr Gordon has been assisted by Sean Clerkin, of the Scottish Tenants Organisation.

He said: “Alex Gordon has already had his physical health ruined by the damp and mould-ridden home he has lived in for many years and for the Wheatley Housing Group to offer him and his family a new home riddled with black mould and to have expected him to move in there was in effect a sentence of death to Alex who already has a sever mould allergy.

“The only remedy to this betrayal is for the Wheatley Housing Group is to use their considerable resources to ensure Alex and his entire family have a home that is free from damp and mould.”