Mouldy house forces mum to 'sign off sick' from work

The resident said the mould has been an ongoing issue at the house

A single mother has been "signed off sick" from work because of the mould in her council house.

The 49-year-old tenant from Oxford, who lives with her child and does not wish to be named, said the issue had been “ongoing for years.”

She sent a final angry complaint to Oxford City Council in February but has said that “they just don’t care."

The council apologised for any "past delays and inaction" and said it is working with the tenant to complete the remaining repairs.

The council apologised for "past delays and inaction"

The tenant said she had to throw out various appliances in her home due to the mould.

She admitted that she has received £200 from the local authority in compensation due to its “lack of action”.

But she said: “It’s just not on.

“Last year someone visited three times and said they’d get back to me and it didn’t happen.

“The only thing they were doing was sending a painter to cover it up.”

The Holywell resident confirmed this was a special type of paint to deal with mould.

Her child, who also did not wish to be named, said: “One of the area surveyors likes to say other places are a lot worse.

“He said in another place there was black mould growing on the wall and laughed in my mum’s face when he saw the mould.

“She was signed off sick because of the house issue.”

The mould is reportedly caused by inadequate ventilation in the house and the council is installing a new system.

An Oxford City Council spokesman said: “We have upheld our tenant’s complaint about mould in their home and offered compensation in line with similar cases in social housing.

“We are sorry for past delays and inaction and for the distress this has caused.

“Work since February has been thorough and within a reasonable timescale and we are liaising with our tenant to complete the remaining repairs.”

The authority added that it is working with the ODS group, which maintains council properties in Oxford, to put things right.