Mary’s so miserable in her mouldy home

MOULD misery . . . the black growth in Mary’s home

THIS is what one Oldhamer’s house looks like after the dreaded damp took hold.

The black fungus first appeared in Mary Browne’s Royton home when she moved in 16 years ago.

Despite her attempts to fight it, the invasive mould has just spread and spread.

Now the 82-year-old, who regularly visits her husband in hospital, has lost the will to battle the black stuff, which has slowly taken over her home in Charles Street.

She said: “I initially had damp around the window when I first came here, so First Choice Homes Oldham replaced the window.

“Then I got it around the wardrobe in my room and they told me to move my wardrobe, so I did, but the mould just keeps coming back. It’s like something from a creepy crawly film.”

The gruesome fungus-like mould is now all over the walls of Mary’s home, on her curtains, in her bedroom, her wardrobe and it’s even growing up the legs of her coffee table.

Mary said: “I feel ashamed of how the house looks, but I’ve tried cleaning it countless times and it doesn’t seem to get any better. I’m too tired to carry on doing that and it feels like a hopeless task now, stripping all the walls and cleaning all the time, because it keeps coming back. It’s awful.

“The mould is so bad in my bedroom that I sometimes sleep in the spare room or downstairs on the sofa, but it is in every room really. I had to throw out two leather jackets which had been in my wardrobe, because they were destroyed by the damp.

“I’ve been a bit confused about who to turn to for help over the years and was passed around different people in the council who couldn’t help.

“I would leave this house tomorrow if I could. FCHO has suggested a fan, but I’m concerned about my heating bills. I’m not sure what to do.”

A FCHO spokesman said: “We are working with our customer and her social worker to resolve the mould issues.

“It is essential that our customer ventilates the property, and allows FCHO repairs teams to undertake the necessary works.

“We will continue to work with our customer and hope to have the matter resolved in due course.

“FCHO encourages all customers to ventilate their properties.”


Top tips to prevent damp and condensation

Cover pans and don’t leave kettles boiling.

Dry washing outdoors on a line or put in a bathroom with the doors closed and the window open or fan on.

Ventilate kitchens and bathrooms when in use by opening the windows wide.

If mould strikes

Wipe down walls and window frames with a fungicidal wash which carries a health and safety executive approval number.

Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo carpets.

Disturbing mould by brushing or vacuum cleaning can increase the risk or respiratory problems.

After treatment, redecorate using a good quality fungicidal paint.