Tenants live in houses with 'mould so bad you can taste it'

Of 679 initial inspections carried out in Blackpool, 454 inspections found at least one serious hazard

Tenants in a seaside town are having their health put at risk, with one mother claiming mould in her family's home is "so bad you can taste it", a report has revealed.

Blackpool Council used £1.2m cash from the government’s levelling up fund to drive up standards in the private rented housing sector.

But the latest report has shown almost 500 properties in Blackpool would not meet the Decent Homes Standard, which already covers social housing but had been due to be extended to private rented accommodation under the last government.

One mother-of-five told how her family had been forced to live in just one room as the mould in her property was "so bad you could taste it".

'Rising damp'

Inspections identified numerous category one hazards, which includes serious mould or damp, or issues such as dangerous stairs or electrical equipment, the report said.

The report to the council's levelling up scrutiny committee said out of 679 initial inspections carried out as part of the scheme, 454 inspections found at least one category one hazard.

It added: "The aim of this pilot was always to try wherever possible to work with landlords and agents to improve property standards, whilst also advising them how near or far away they are from meeting the forthcoming Decent Homes Standard when applied to the private rented sector as part of the proposed Renters Reform Bill."

Support officers also received 171 referrals requesting help for tenants and out of those, 147 people accepted assistance such as to find alternative accommodation, financial assistance or help liaising with landlords.

One mother-of-five has told how her family could only live in one room of their house in the Marton area because the mould was "so bad you could taste it".

Another family, living in Warley Road, North Shore, told how they feared rising damp was contributing to their six-month-old baby’s respiratory illness.

In March, the government awarded Blackpool £90m of funding to help transform squalid and damp housing in the town's most deprived areas.

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb said the new Labour government would honour the funding which will see interventions including demolition and refurbishment of property.