An ill mum feels like her council is "waiting for her and her daughter to die" in a flat so completely "riddled with mould" it has started growing in their shoes and clothes.
Beverley Simms is now urging Camden Council to act fast and re-home them, before her symptoms of living with mould and fungus get worse.
She admits that the tragic case of Awaab Ishak is weighing heavy on her mind and fears that if she is not move out fast, as her doctor requested, she may face the same fate.
Beverley, 61, and daughter Shenika Francis, 24, moved to their council flat in Kentish Town in October 2021 after initially viewing the property and finding it a suitable place to live.
However, the mum says that the problems did not appear evident as it was all "painted up", report MyLondon.
And just a few months after moving in, they begun seeing a mould growth in their bedroom.
Beverly reports that she immediately called the council about the issue in January 2022.
But shockingly, it was not until April that someone attended, she says, where the mould had spread throughout the home into the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms.
Showing the horrifying pictures of mould in their shoes, on the ceiling, and around their windows, the 61-year-old says that she is worried for her health.
The black mould is also on the pair's clothes and mattresses, and in April, they noticed the floor was slippery and wet - believing it must be rising damp.
Following the visit from a workman that month, Beverley assumed the council was on to the issue.
However, eight months passed on from their visit where she says there had still been nothing done to remove the mould.
When the mould continued to encroach on their bedrooms, Beverley and Shenika, who works with special needs children, were forced to sleep in the sitting room and to bring all their clothes too.
And at one point, Beverley claims there was mould on her tongue as it ended up on her toothbrush.
Aside from this, Beverley has also felt dizzy and had issues with vomiting, while she and her daughter have both had headaches. She claims all of these are symptoms of living with mould and fungus.
A doctor's note says it is "very important Beverley is moved as soon as possible" as the "severe mould" in her flat is "causing stress and distress as well as exacerbating her symptoms of vertigo and heart palpitations".
Now, she says they have discovered the mould on the settee they are sleeping on.
She said it feels like Camden Council is "waiting for us to die" and has been thinking about the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, the toddler who was found to have died from prolonged exposure to mould.
Beverley and Shenika say they only recently became aware that the property had mould before they moved in.
Shenika found an email sent to her, not Beverley, which said mould and fungus was being wiped down and painted over.
Beverley has now gone on to question why this was sent to her young daughter, rather than herself.
She asks: "Why would they make us move somewhere they know it would happen again?"
While Beverley and Shenika have been offered another property, they claim the council is refusing to do all of the repairs they have requested and it has not been clear about when it will be available.
Beverley says it is also a downgrade as in their current flat she has a king sized bed, whereas the new place has single beds and two-seater settees.
They are also claiming compensation as they bought many things new for the flat and believe it isn't their fault that their belongings have been destroyed.
But the mum claims that Camden Council has refused to offer compensation.
A Camden Council spokesperson said their focus is to move Beverley and Shenika to their new home.
They admitted that addressing the causes of the damp and mould has been "complicated" because the council is the leaseholder for the flat, but isn't the freeholder of the building.
A spokesperson said: “We are here to help Ms Simms and her daughter. Our focus right now is helping the family move to another home permanently as soon as possible. We have found a new home, decorated it and are offering to provide basic furniture, so that when the home is ready, the family will be able to move in straight away.
“Addressing the causes of the damp and mould has been complicated by the fact that Camden Council is not the freeholder of the building, but we are treating this matter as a priority and are in regular contact with the family.
“We want all our tenants to live in warm, safe and well-maintained homes and we are being proactive on addressing damp and mould. Over a year ago, we set up a dedicated damp and mould team, who take emergency action and stop problems at source. We are now redoubling our efforts by increasing the number of people addressing this problem, reaching out to all our tenants, and we will be working side by side with tenants and their representatives to ensure every tenant has a comfortable home.”
