A quadruple amputee mum claims the mould is so bad in her home that she is unable to use the bathroom in the property. Danielle Bailey says the situation has become a 'health hazard' for her and her son as she calls on the council to fix the issue.
Danielle is a quadruple amputee after she had to have all four of her limbs removed when she contracted meningitis at four-years-old. She receives disability benefit for her condition, and moved into her council flat three years ago.
However, she started to notice problems occurring in the property not long after bringing her new born child into the home. The mother could smell damp around the flat before she began noticing mould developing between the bathroom tiles, reports Leeds Live.
Danielle has been living with the mould since the start of the year and Leeds City Council has been slow to respond to her requests to fix the issue. She claims the council only sent someone to inspect the mould despite her telling them at the start of 2022.
She said: "The mould in my house has become so bad, it's a health hazard - especially for my son. I told Leeds City Council about the condition of my bathroom at the start of this year, and they have only just sent someone round to have a look it.
"In that time, it got so bad mushrooms grew around the toilet - it was horrific."
Danielle has claimed that even when the council did finally send someone last month, the problem was still not solved.
She added: "Originally someone came and applied a layer of paint to the mouldy areas of my bathroom - but obviously that did nothing to fix the problem. I was then told someone was coming to deal with the mould again, but no one ever came."
After failing to solve the problem at hand, council workers returned to the property to deal with the mould around the toilet. But, after being told it would be supposedly a "quick job" it has taken longer than expected, says Danielle.
In the meantime, she has been left without a bathroom and has to go to a family members' homes to use the facilities. And, while one relative lives nearby, if they are unavailable she has to travel to the next nearest - which she says is 30 minutes away.
Danielle said: "It's been over two weeks and I still don't have a working bathroom. People have been coming out with the wrong equipment, and putting tiles in the wrong way - it doesn't really seem like they know what they're doing.
"Because I'm a quad amputee, I have a special walk in shower where I can wash myself - but with that out of action, I'm having to rely on family. It has been a 30-minute journey to use a relative's bathroom, which I've had to do in my wheelchair.
"My boyfriend has had to come over and push my son in his pram there and back each time - so as you can imagine, it's been a real struggle. I was also left without a toilet for an entire day, with no working alternative.
"The black mould in my son's bedroom is dangerous to us both, but the council seem incapable of doing two things at once - so it's just being left. I'm just praying they'll get their act together soon."
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “We are aware of some outstanding repairs at the property following a leak which has now been fixed. We are treating these as a priority and we have scheduled them in with the tenant for completion.
“The council’s housing teams are committed to doing the best possible job on behalf of all tenants across the city, and we always endeavour to address any issues that people might be having with their properties as quickly as we can.”
