A disabled single mum from North Lanarkshire has been forced to send her kids to live somewhere else after the council house they were allocated was found to be full of asbestos and dampness.
Cheryl Kerr and her two kids were homed in a property on Uig Way, Shotts, by North Lanarkshire Council, which Cheryl claims is 'unsafe' for the family to live in.
Cheryl's 16-year-old son and her eight-year-old daughter are currently living with their grandparents for their own safety. The 41-year-old suffers from fibromyalgia and was homeless for two and a half years before the council offered up a home.
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Cheryl told the Daily Record : "It's not safe for my children to live here. It's also dangerous for me because of my illness.
"Why would I have my children staying in a house where asbestos has been discovered?
"The council have said they will remove the asbestos but why were we given this house in the first place.
"It should have been checked before a family were given the keys.
"The place also stinks of dampness but the council haven't said what they are going to do about the problem.
"I just want us all to be together in a safe, liveable house. We've been through enough as it is."
Cheryl was horrified when she discovered the 'catalogue of issues' she found in their two-bedroom new home after she hired workmen to decorate.
She claims asbestos was found underneath the cracked floor tiles in their living room and kitchen on November 15 after a workman for Mears, a company contracted by North Lanarkshire Council, took a sample from the flooring when he was out assessing the house following her complaints about dampness.
She added: "I've had the keys for a few months now but I didn't have enough money to decorate right away.
"When I booked decorators, we discovered the serious issues in the house.
"Two weeks ago a council contractor came out to access the property. He took a sample from our tiles and this is when they realised there was asbestos. The electrician and joiner also told me the walls were full of moisture and couldn't do anything with them.
"There are also holes in our bath so we can't use that either."
Cheryl said she was forced to give up her private let in 2020 after finding the bills too expensive to afford on her own following a divorce.
She added: "We were declared homeless and had to live with family as well as in a homeless unit, which we didn't feel safe in for the last two and half years. I accepted this house from the council because I felt like I had no other option. I was desperate for us to get out of the unit. I never imagined they would put us up in a house with this many problems. I feel so disappointed and let down."
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “We have instructed urgent works to be carried out in our tenant’s property to remove floor tiles, to treat damp found behind wallpaper and to replace items in the bathroom including the sink and bath.
“We have also instructed a survey to be carried out to identify the cause of damp and this will carried out in the coming days. We are working with Ms Kerr to remedy all the issues identified as a priority.”
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