Leeds: Couple's fear for children in council flat 'covered in mould'

Leigh Spence and Lewis Lockwood said they feared for their children's health

The parents of two young children have said leaks in their council flat have left their home "absolutely covered in mould".

Leigh Spence and Lewis Lockwood, of Leeds, fear for the health of their two-year-old and eight-month-old sons.

They said water had been running down the walls of the boys' bedroom but Leeds City Council has not fixed the problem months after they reported it.

The council said it was "treating these repairs as a priority".

The couple first reported the leaks in their two-bedroom flat in Bramley to the council in August. They hoped the problem would be fixed before winter, but a surveyor sent by the local authority suggested the issue might be condensation and nothing was done.

During wet weather over winter, the family say water has been leaking through the ceiling of the boys' bedroom and onto a plug socket.

Lewis Lockwood said his family's flat was "absolutely covered" in mould

Mr Lockwood said the walls of the family's bathroom were constantly wet and mould had been growing on walls and furniture.

He told the BBC: "We try to clean it but it's just absolutely covered in mould, it's ruined the full property.

"You're obviously breathing that in, it can't be good for the kids at all."

The couple said they had regularly called the council about the issue but had been frustrated by the lack of action.

Ms Lockwood said: "I feel like they're not really bothered about my children's health because then they would take it seriously and see that it's a health risk for them both."

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear of the problems that the family are facing in their home and we are currently working to complete some repairs that were identified before Christmas.

"We are treating these repairs as a priority and we are in the process of arranging a further prompt assessment of the property to ensure that these issues are fully addressed."

'Uninhabitable'

The government has ordered councils and other social housing providers to step up action to tackle mould and damp in the wake of the death of Awaab Ishak.

A coroner concluded in November that the Rochdale two-year-old had died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould.

Robert Robinson, a father-of-three in Sheffield, said mould had left his family's three-bedroom home on the Winn Gardens estate "uninhabitable".

But he told the BBC he felt his concerns had been "falling on deaf ears" at the council.

Robert Robinson said mould had been "taking over" his family's house.

Mr Robinson said: "We're spending all of our money to try to keep the house heated to keep the mildew and mould away - that's not sustainable.

"It's been years of dealing with it but it's all come to head more recently with the bad weather and the mould just taking over the house. It's not safe, it's not good."

Tom Smith, director of direct services at Sheffield City Council, said the local authority's staff fixed a leak at Mr Robinson's home on 30 September and had no further reports of mould or damp until they were called again on 30 December.

He added: "We are due to replace the waterproof covering to the balcony urgently and one of our surveyors will attend to assess what else needs to be done, including any further damp or mould treatment and whether the tenant needs to stay in another property whilst the work is carried out."

The council added it had set up a task group to focus on tackling damp and mould issues in its housing stock.