Woman says mould has forced her out of home

Christina Stafford said issues with her home had impacted her mental and physical health

A woman says she has not been able to live in her house for six months due to mould and a rat problem.

Christina Stafford lives in rented sheltered housing in Sidmouth, run by East Devon Council (EDDC) - but said she had not been able to stay there since April.

She said she had complained to the council, and claimed contractors had cleaned the walls and painted over the mould but not tackled the root of the problem.

The council said it took issues such as damp, mould and pest control "very seriously" and had "undertaken significant works" at the property. It added no evidence of rats had been found.

Mrs Stafford said a video recorded on a camera installed in her loft space in July 2024 showed a rat crawling around

The council said an independent pest control company had found no rat activity in the loft.

However, she said footage from a camera installed in her loft showed a rat in the insulation.

A separate subcontractor visited the property to investigate reports from Mrs Stafford of a hornets' nest in the garden, the council said, adding it confirmed nothing was found.

An EDDC spokesperson said: "In this case, we have undertaken significant works, including re-plastering, a full bathroom replacement, a partial kitchen replacement with new flooring, and remedial works to the roof.

"Additional works to replace the soffits and gutters are also scheduled as part of our planned maintenance programme."

Mrs Stafford has photographed areas on the walls of her house where she said mould had started to come back

Mould had already started to come back on the recently-painted walls in the property, Mrs Stafford said

Mrs Stafford said: "It's wearing on my mental and physical health."

She said she had taken photographs in her house where contractors had been out to "wash and paint" the mouldy walls over the last few months.

She added the mould had already started to come back.

EDDC said Mrs Stafford had been supported by staff and provided with temporary accommodation while work was completed - adding she was due to return home at the end of September.