A third of council homes hit by damp and mould

Council tenant Simon Gibbons said problems with damp and mould had been going on for five years

Mould and damp are causing problems in about a third of homes owned by East Devon District Council.

Residents said it had taken years for problems to be dealt with.

Councillor Henry Riddell successfully pushed for the council to agree to deal with the most serious cases "as a matter of urgency".

East Devon District Council, which has about 5,500 properties, said it was "working at pace" to develop an "action plan" to resolve outstanding issues.

Council tenant Simon Gibbons believes damp and mould have caused structural issues with his home

Simon Gibbons lives in a council-owned house in the coastal town of Budleigh Salterton with his partner and two children.

He said damp and mould problems began about five years ago and he now has structural damage under a bay window, a hole in his kitchen floor and cracks in the exterior wall.

He said: "It's an eyesore, when people walk past they look at it all the time.

"To get someone round here is hard work and nine times out of ten they'll send someone round who has nothing to do with the problem.

"It's just in an incredible state. From the five years I have been asking them to do something about it, they haven't."

Ellen Newcombe said she had tried everything to get rid of damp and mould in her council-owned house

Ellen Newcombe said damp problems began in her council-owned home in Budleigh Salterton in the winter of 2019.

She said: "We had black mould in the bathroom after me trying to wash it off countless times - it just kept coming back."

Ms Newcombe, who lives with her husband and three children, said she understood councils were "strapped for cash" but said that did not excuse her being "ignored" for years.

She said: "It has been distressing and upsetting. I'm banging my head against a brick wall and not being heard or listened to."

Councillor Henry Riddell is pushing East Devon District Council to take urgent action

Henry Riddell, a Conservative councillor for Budleigh Salterton on East Devon District Council, has been working with residents to resolve issues and brought a motion to push the council to take urgent action on serious cases of damp and mould.

A new law is being introduced in England to force landlords to fix mouldy properties more quickly - know as Awaab's Law and named after a toodler who died after prolonged exposure to mould.

Mr Riddell said councillors were told a survey of council properties found a third had damp issues with about a tenth having serious issues that required urgent attention.

He said: "I've seen the effect that damp and mould has on residents.

"Residents are frustrated and don't feel they're getting the clear answers they want."

East Devon District Council said it was developing a plan to deal with damp and mould issues

The full results of the survey - first commissioned in March 2022 - have not yet been released to the public.

The council previously said it may have to sell off some homes to pay for repairs to other housing stock.

Dan Ledger,  Independent, the council's portfolio holder for Sustainable Homes and Communities, said it was "working at pace" to "develop an action plan" to deal with the most urgent cases.

Mr Ledger said the council was "enhancing our communications and procedures for tenants to report damp and mould concerns" and advising tenants on how to deal with issues.

The results of the housing stock survey are expected to be published in early 2025.