Boy cannot breathe in mouldy Druid's Heath flat, says family

Mother Emma Whitehouse said they had taken their children to hospital with breathing difficulties

A family said they were desperate for help after their young son complained he could not breathe due to mouldy conditions in their flat.

A leak has caused wet rot in the two-bedroom flat in Birmingham, causing mould to spread throughout, with five children sharing one of the rooms.

Their rotting toilet in the Druid's Heath flat has mushrooms on it, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The city council apologised and is arranging to treat the mould.

Mother Emma Whitehouse said they had no hope of moving as council waiting lists were so lengthy, but were often taking their children to hospital with breathing difficulties.

"I've called around 20 different housing associations but there's nothing." she said.

"Some have even closed their applications because there are too many people applying."

Mould in the children's bedroom is affecting their breathing, the family say

Father of the children, Said Ali, said: "When a four-year-old kid is telling you himself that he can't breathe, that's when you know there is a problem. 

"Usually kids don't care about this stuff, they play with their toys, they don't usually know what is happening but they are telling me 'daddy, I can't breathe in here'.

"It's so bad, everywhere there's just mould and I have to clean it constantly because my kids are going to the hospital."

He said the mould was just painted over and soon returned.

"I cleaned it a few days ago because my four-year-old came out of hospital after being on oxygen and the mould is already back," he said.

Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard said the family deserved better and Birmingham City Council needed to take the case seriously, adding: "Unfortunately, cases like this are not uncommon."

The family's bathroom shows rot damage

Birmingham MP Preet Kaur Gill recently told the BBC she had 160 complaints with the city council over mouldy and damp properties.

Homes in severe disrepair have come under the spotlight after a coroner ruled two-year-old Awaab Ishak died due to mouldy conditions in a flat in Rochdale.

A council spokesperson apologised for the distress the tenants in Druids Heath had been experiencing and their case was being looked at as a matter of urgency.

A housing officer had also been in contact with them regarding options in line with its allocation policy, they added.

"As the largest social landlord in the country Birmingham City Council inspects its properties for mould as part of its focus on carrying out increased numbers of home visits and is actively working with our tenants to prevent it," the spokesperson said.

"To assist them we are producing a housing toolkit which includes advice on treating mould and a leaflet which we will be distributing to all vulnerable tenants."

Mother Emma Whitehouse said they had taken their children to hospital with breathing difficulties

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]