A mum has been left "terrified" for her family's health after the amount of mould in her home left her daughter in hospital. Danielle Smith said she fears for her children's lives having brought them up in a flat where mould has covered the walls, furniture, and even bedding for years. Cardiff council has "been working with her to resolve the problems at her home" and work has taken place at the property while an independent contractor sent by the authority "found black spot mould on walls and furniture caused by condensation but no evidence of damp".
Danielle, a mum to three children, has lived in her two-bedroom flat in Honeysuckle Close in Pentrebane for eight years and claims she first noticed the mould just weeks after moving in. Having reported the issue to Cardiff council on several occasions she said the mould had been cleaned away and painted over but no further preventative action had been taken causing it to reappear within a matter of weeks.
The problem has now become so bad that Danielle's four-year-old daughter was admitted to hospital after struggling with her breathing with doctors telling her that it was due to the conditions she was living in and telling her they were "absolutely horrified" by the little girl's living conditions. WalesOnline has seen medical paperwork in which doctors directly link her illness to her hospital admission.
Read more: Residents of Cardiff estate told their weekly heating and water bill is quadrupling
Danielle claimed experts have told her that more advanced work, such as external wall insulation, was needed in order to rid her home of mould. However the council say no evidence of damp was found during the latest inspection with more cleaning recommended as well as improved ventilation measures, which 27-year-old Danielle has branded a "joke".
While she has had problems with mould across the flat for years Danielle said she reached her limit at the end of last year when mould began to form on her bedding and that of her children who are aged four, seven, and 10. Get the latest news from across Cardiff sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter.
"It just keeps coming back," she said. "It's been a problem for years but about two months ago I reported to the council that the mould had become extremely bad.
"My kids' bedding was constantly wet so I put it by the radiators to try and dry it out so they could at least sleep in it every night. There was mould all over their blankets and pillows, my mattress is covered in mould, our sofas are covered in mould. It’s everywhere."
An inspection of the property was then carried out but Danielle was less than convinced by its findings. She added: "They said it was because three kids share the room and they’re all breathing in one room. That is absolutely ridiculous – there are people out there in far more overcrowded situations than we are and they don’t suffer with mould. It was an absolute joke."
Nothing was done about the worsening mould situation and six weeks later it took its toll in frightening circumstances as Danielle's youngest child was taken to hospital after suffering breathing difficulties. Doctors were left "horrified" after seeing photos of the family's living conditions and were reluctant to send the little girl back home. The day after she was discharged the youngster was readmitted after her health deteriorated again.
"When I showed the doctor pictures of my home she was absolutely disgusted," said Danielle. "She instantly said she was writing a letter to the council about it although I told her it wouldn't make a difference. She was horrified and she told me: 'No kid should be living like that'.
"They didn't want her to go home to the flat because they knew it would cause more problems but I had to take her home – I had no option. So the next day she was admitted again and I was given letters that stated that the mould is what has been causing her breathing problems, which I have shown the council."
After the scary experience another inspection of Danielle's home was then carried out. She claimed the inspector told her there was "no insulation in the walls" due to the age of the building and the only way to prevent the mould from coming back was to install external wall insulation.
"So I mentioned that to the council," she added. "But the workers that turned up told me: 'No, we probably won't do that'. They said that they were just going to try and get rid of it by cleaning the walls again. They said they had only been told to 'anti-mould' two walls and spray the rest with mould and mildew. I told them that I'd been doing that for years but all they said was that theirs was a little bit stronger."
After she and her family were moved into a hotel for a week while the work took place Danielle returned to her home to find it temporarily free of mould but she claimed the property still "absolutely stinks" of damp. Without more thorough work she is confident that the mould will return and worsen within days.
"In my bedroom now, although you can’t see any mould because it's been washed off, it absolutely stinks of damp," she said. "It is disgusting. I’ve also had water coming from my ceiling and I’ve had no proper heating for about three or four weeks either. They’ve sent us back knowing things haven’t been done properly so I'm just in the same situation and my little girl will end up in hospital again because they haven't treated it all properly."
As a result Danielle has been left terrified for her health and that of her children with the case of Awaab Ishak fresh in her mind. The two-year-old died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition that was found to be caused by mould in the one-bedroom housing association flat where he lived.
"I keep getting chest infections and my son and daughter have been coughing for six weeks. Their attendance at school is low because they've constantly got a bad cough and the school are also disgusted at how my kids are living.
"All I keep thinking about is that if it carries on my daughter is going to struggle to breathe so much – I do worry she's going to end up being like that little boy. It is possible. I'm so scared of it and they’re not doing enough about it."
Danielle is not taking the issue lying down and is determined to do "whatever it takes" to get better living conditions for her children. She doesn't want to move from her home of eight years.
"I'm not asking them to move me, she I'm just asking them to do their job properly," she said. "I've been told there's ways of doing it but they’re just painting over it to try and hide the fact of what's really going on. It doesn't solve it.
"They're just trying to long it out to keep me quiet but I'm not willing to do it now. After seeing my daughter in such a bad condition I’m never going through that again. I’m going to take it as far as I need to just make them do their job properly."
A spokesman for Cardiff council said: “The council takes reports of damp and mould issues in our homes very seriously. We are very concerned to hear about Ms Smith’s daughter’s recent poor health and hospital admittance and have been working with her to resolve the problems at her home.
“A damp survey carried out by an independent contractor at the flat found black spot mould on walls and furniture caused by condensation but no evidence of damp. Work recommended to tackle the issues, such as disinfectant cleaning and improved ventilation measures, has been completed this week. In the meantime we are supporting Ms Smith to access funding to replace furniture and bedding damaged by the black mould."
The spokesman added that the council had recently completed a "full review" of how it deals with damp and mould issues to "ensure cases are dealt with appropriately and effectively". A new approach should see them respond to reports more quickly while there has also been investment in major works including installing external wall insulation and replacing windows, roofs, and boilers.
"We have a robust action plan and additional resources are in place to deal with the issue," they added. "A new case management approach has enabled us to respond to reports quicker and has provided better insights on trends and recurring issues where larger or alternative works may be required.
“To improve the thermal qualities of our homes we are also investing in a major programme of works including the installation of external wall insulation on our low-rise blocks, window and roof replacement, and boiler replacements as required.
“Very often occurrences of mould can be resolved by tenants cleaning the affected area without the need for an operative to attend.. We provide tenants with information and advice on ways they can help prevent and alleviate the problem.
“We know that the rising cost of heating our homes is a real worry for many tenants and so our repairs operatives who visit tenants are briefed to signpost anyone with these concerns to support. A wide range of cost of living help is available from the council which can be accessed at hubs across the city by calling our advice line on 029 2087 1071 or emailing advicehub@cardiff.gov.uk “
READ MORE:
Mum 'terrified' for health of children living in home covered in black mould
'Enough is enough' Woman's horror after finding mould in underwear drawer and on toothbrush
'My home's covered in black mould and my children have been in and out of hospital and the doctors
Man in fear of 'crumbing' home collapsing into a pile of rubble
