A nurse was left struggling to breathe for years in his mouldy home.

Paul Wilson has asthma and watched his health deteriorate after living with dangerous spores in his damp house.

The 39-year-old student nurse, who lives in Clydebank, is now warning others to be aware of how black mould can affect you, especially if you have a lung condition.

Paul said: “I lived in a damp house for a number of years, and it had a very negative impact on my asthma.

“Although my asthma was well controlled, it led to me suffering from a shortness of breath, many trips to my GP and having to increase my asthma medication to try and ease my symptoms.

“The house was damp for some time, and it took many phone calls over some years for the council to try and fix it. In the end, there was black mould in both the kitchen and bathroom despite my best efforts to remove it.

“I am well again now, but because no one took the situation seriously, there was a huge delay in making my home a safe place for me to live.

“I was unaware of how much of an impact the mould and damp were having on my breathing, because it was a gradual deterioration of my health over some time.

“People need to be aware of how serious mould can be, especially if you are living with a lung condition.”

Mould usually appears as fuzzy black, white, or green patches on the walls, ceiling or tiles. It might also smell damp and musty.

If you are allergic to mould it can cause symptoms like coughing, wheezing, sneezing and watery eyes or cause symptoms of a lung condition like asthma or COPD to worsen. Now leading health charity Asthma + Lung UK Scotland is raising awareness of the dangers of mould.

In a recent survey by the charity, over one in three Scots surveyed with a lung condition, such as asthma or COPD, said mould was a trigger for their condition, potentially bringing life-threatening attacks.

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Scotland, said: “If you have a lung condition, mould may make your symptoms worse, and if you have asthma, it could cause an asthma attack. Babies, small children, older people and people with allergies are more likely to be affected.

“If you think your home is damp or you’ve noticed mould, it’s best to act quickly before it gets worse. For those in rented accommodation, landlords have a responsibility to their tenants and to fully support them to make sure that their home isn’t damaging their health. They should not just paint over the problem.

“There is often a link between poor housing and asthma, because of things like mould and damp.

“Asthma + Lung UK Scotland believes no one should have to suffer worse health because of where they live, or how much money they have.”