Mum 'feared for life' after mould was left to fester at home

Brenda Parker suffers from COPD and asthma attacks which leaves her vulnerable to the black dampness as it can cause serious chest problems.

The 62-year-old, who lives near the city centre, claims she begged her housing association to check for mould after noticing a leak in early September.

Brenda found the mould after being told there was none at the property for weeks (Image: Newsquest)

She was moved into multiple hotels for more than six weeks while The Wheatley Group carried out repairs, but Brenda claims they refused to properly investigate her mould concerns.

When she finally returned home she complained of damage in her bathroom and asked them to check for mould again. She was then “disgusted” to find the thick black growth on the wall.

The mould was found behind the toilet (Image: Newsquest)

Brenda said: “As someone with COPD and asthma mould is really dangerous and could be fatal for me so I was very scared for my life.

“I have been complaining for weeks that I thought it was in my house but I felt it was not being taken seriously.

“They did put me in a hotel while they carried out work to sort the leak but when I asked them to search for mould in the bathroom they didn’t send out proper investigation teams.

“I moved back home and didn’t feel good about it, eventually after looking behind a panel at the toilet we discovered a disgusting thick black mould.

“I immediately took pictures and was just so glad I now had proof, but it should have been dealt with long before that.”

Brenda noticed dark spots in her home (Image: Sourced)

The Glasgow Times contacted The Wheatley Group on Tuesday, October 17 about Brenda’s concerns and a spokesperson said: “To be clear, there is no damp and mould in this home. It is now ready for her to move back in.”

However, 10 days later we contacted them again showing pictures of the mould which was found in the bathroom.
Brenda noticed dark spots which raised alarm bells (Image: Newsquest)

This was then treated the same day but the housing association insisted there were no signs of mould when they fixed the leak originally.

A Wheatley Homes Glasgow spokesman said: “The tenant was in touch last month about a leak from upstairs.

"We carried out repairs to the ceiling and found no signs of damp and mould.

“The tenant contacted us again last week to report a damaged wall panel in her bathroom. We removed the wall panel and discovered a small area of mould behind a pipe. The mould was treated the same day.

"We’ll continue to keep in regular contact with the tenant and help with any future issues.”