Drumchapel disabled dad living in 'death trap' mould home

William Allison has been complaining about dampness at his Drumchapel home since 2015, which he claims has caused infections and poor mental health.

The 60-year-old, who is paralysed and relies on a wheelchair, branded the condition of some rooms as “diabolical”, while the Glasgow Times photographed large black spores across the property.

Amanda's bedroom was described as diabolical by dad William because of the mould (Image: Colin Mearns)

William said: “I feel pushed to my limits with the mould and how unfairly my family is being treated, we are desperate for help.

“We have been living with mould for nine years, we constantly complain but it is still a problem.

“It has been very stressful for us, to be honest it has hurt my mental health a lot and I just don’t want to be here anymore at times. It is a death trap.

“My daughter's room is diabolical, no one should be living this way in the 21st century.”

Amanda sleeps on a mattress in the living room because of the mould in her bedroom (Image: Colin Mearns)

Mould can produce toxic substances and can also affect the immune system, according to the NHS.

It can also cause asthma and chest infections which William’s 27-year-old daughter, Amanda, has now been diagnosed with.

She said she is forced to take her mattress into the living room to sleep at night as she is unable to breathe in her bedroom.

The mould is found across the property and has been a problem for nine years (Image: Colin Mearns)

Amanda said: “It feels like complete hell living here and we aren’t getting any help to fix the mould, it is really bad.

“I have to sleep in the living room now because I can’t breathe in my own room.

“I believe I now have asthma because of the mould which is really stressful, my disabled dad also has been experiencing a tight chest.

“The damp also makes the house stink so bad, even after we wash our clothes they still smell of the mould we can’t get away from it.

“Our ceilings have wet puddles on them which makes us scared the roof is going to come in and kill us, it makes strange noises all the time.”

The mould is concerning the family due to health reasons (Image: Colin Mearns)

William said the damp ceiling leaves him afraid to use his special hoist to get in and out of his wheelchair.

He is now struggling to navigate around the property, despite it being an accessible space, because of the mould.

It comes as the family say they are forced to pile their belongings in the hallway after they said they lost £3k in property damage after leaks have broken CD players, TV’s, and other valuable items.

Kingsridge Cleddans Housing Association claimed a transfer would not be “necessary” and the current issues in the property “would not, in [their] view, warrant a decant.” (Image: Sourced)

William explained: “I am a disabled guy and I am scared to use my hoist to get in and out of my wheelchair because it is attached to the wet ceiling, it could come in.

“I also can’t move around the house easily as we have boxes of our things everywhere to try and protect them from leaks and wet condensation.

“It is just making everything ten times harder for me, I really want it sorted.”

The family keep their things in plastic bags to protect them from water damage from the dampness. (Image: Colin Mearns)

Amanda now has asthma which she claims was caused by the mould (Image: Colin Mearns)

Cleddans Housing Association confirmed they have been receiving complaints about mould from the family since 2015.

Over the nine years they have carried out eight specialist inspection surveys but the family said the mould has continued to get worse.

Despite this, Kingsridge Cleddans Housing Association has never offered temporary accommodation while investigations continue.

When asked if the property was safe for the family, despite their medical reports of infections and asthma, the housing association claimed a transfer would not be “necessary” and the current issues in the property “would not, in [their] view, warrant a decant.”

The kitchen cupboards have mould (Image: Colin Mearns)

Jim Strang, interim director of Kingsridge Cleddans Housing Association, said: “I can confirm the household composition, and I can also confirm that there have indeed been complaints concerning condensation-related issues at this address.

“Over the years the Association has commissioned eight specialist inspection surveys, with the first being commissioned in November 2015 and the most recent last November.

“All have confirmed that there are no structural or penetrating damp issues affecting the property and that the core issue is a recurring condensation issue.

“I can confirm that we are currently actively engaging with our tenants, and have been for the last few weeks, on further investigatory work to try and reach a satisfactory permanent conclusion to the issue.

“The Association takes all aspects of tenant and resident safety very seriously, including the effects of condensation and dampness and we will always endeavour to resolve such issues in a timely manner, as will be the case with this case.”

Glasgow City Council said: “This case has been reported to us and we are investigating.”

If you are struggling with your mental health and need someone to talk to, you are not alone.

Here are helpline numbers for anyone seeking help: Samaritans: Call 116 123.