A family-of-six forced to sleep in a single room together in their "nightmare" home which is so ridden with damp and rodents the younger children believe the mice are their pets.
Mum Falhado Eders, 32, shared the two-bedroom flat with her husband and children Yussuf, 12, Leben, 7 years, Yasmin, 5 and baby Qaseeda, seven months.
The family, originally from war-torn Somalia, arrived in Hull nine years ago and say their council home was “not so bad at first” before everything went downhill.
The damp has become so unbearable they are unable to use one of the bedrooms and mice are daily visitors, Hull Live reports.
Tragically, Falhado lost a baby boy during childbirth last year and she believes the living conditions may have been a factor.
She said: “It is just a nightmare. I try to keep the flat clean but it is just impossible. I get so afraid the mice will bite my baby at night.
“The situation in Somalia is very difficult and dangerous, there is no safe life there and we wanted to build a safe, stable future for our kids here in Hull.”
“Me and my kids cannot breathe in the bedroom as the damp is everywhere. My son Yussuf now has breathing issues and constantly feels itchy. He has a report from the doctor proving this.
"Me and my children don’t get fresh air, it would be better if we slept outside at least we wouldn’t have to breath this dirt in.
“We have not slept well in a long time and it breaks my heart to see my kids suffering like this. I keep ringing social services but they just don’t seem to care.
Falhado claims that her bathroom leaks several times a week and she has called the council many times to resolve the issue.
Sadly, Falhado lost her baby boy at Hull Royal Infirmary last year.
She added: “I am still heartbroken and coming back to this flat has really affected mine and my children’s mental health as well as our actual health.
“We just want to move on. This flat is really not safe for anyone to live in. I am certain I lost my baby because of this flat, I was so ill during my pregnancy it was a nightmare.
“During my pregnancy at the end of 2020 and 2021 I had developed breathing problems and it was clearly from the damp in the property.
“The flat was definitely not a safe hygienic place to be in for a pregnant woman.”
Son Yussuf added: “Mice are just running around everywhere.
“We have tried to put mice traps but there are too many of them. We even found them on our bed.”
A spokesperson for Hull City Council said it had no record of any requests for assistance for leaks in the property but had visited in January last year to treat damp with a “fungal wash”.
The spokesperson added: “No further repairs were identified. Consequently, we are contacting “the tenant” to arrange an appointment for contractors to attend.
“The only 'live' request we have for repairs is for our contractor to look at cold draughts coming through the front door, and an appointment has already been arranged for May 17.”
“It was explained to her the council charged to resolve rodent infestation problems and advice was given about how she could resolve the issue herself.
“With regard to moving to a larger house, (the tenant) is on our Assisted Bid list, which means the Homesearch team helps her to submit her bids.
"Since December 2021, she has requested bids on just five properties, none of which were successful.
“The Homesearch team has tried to get in touch with her several times by phone and letter to encourage her to engage with them about her housing situation and so they can support her further with the bidding process.”
