Published: Wednesday, 25th November, 2009 5:06pm
Pregnant mum: 'We don't deserve to live like this'
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MISERY: Pamela, who is pregnant, is forced to sleep on her floor because of mould and dampness in her home. She is pictured (left) with daughter Tammy
A PREGNANT woman and her two children are being forced to live in a damp-ridden house as Renfrewshire Council have refused to fix it.
Pamela McGowan, 26, has been staying at a council house in Ryefield Avenue, in Johnstone, with her her 11-year-old daughter, Nadia, and her 18-month old baby, Tammy, since May this year.
Shortly before they moved in a pipe burst in the back garden and flooded underneath the house.
The council repaired it but in September Pamela started to see dampness throughout her home.
Pamela, who is 30 weeks pregnant, said: "I had noticed that it was always cold and there was always a musty smell and I kept thinking what the hell is that?"
When she checked her bed there was mould all through her mattress, on the base of her bed, on her baby's cot and on her oldest daughter's bunk bed.
It was immediately reported it to the council who sent out an inspector.
He marked it up as an urgent repair and contractors came out and tested the floors.
They found that underneath the house was soaking wet and it needed to dry out.
Pamela said: "I was then told underneath the house would dry out naturally. Common sense tells you that everything would dry out naturally eventually, but I've been told because of the weather conditions it will take longer to dry out.
"Now I've got slugs coming out from under my washing machine that are huge and that my 18-month could pick up.
"We have no bedding and no clothes because everything got ruined."
Pamela is currently sleeping on a mattress in her living room with her youngest child, Tammy.
Pamela has been told to put in an application to be moved but has been advised that it will take a long time.
She said: "Basically I've got to sit and rot and wait until it can dry out.
"They told me not to dry my clothes in my tumble drier, not to dry them on my clothes horse and not to dry them on my radiator because that will cause condensation which will cause mould.
"How the hell am I suppose to dry clothes?"
Pamela is concerned for her children's health, especially her unborn baby who is due in January.
She said "The midwife said it wouldn't cause me a great deal of harm but damp conditions are not great for anybody's health me and the kids are constantly not well.
"My oldest girl came off her inhaler when she was four and that's her back on them again which is ridiculous."
The mum has been told that it would cost £3,500 to treat the problem but the council don't have the budget for it. Pamela added: "I'm so disheartened by the service I have had from the council and for the fact I am living in a hell hole.
"They are getting rent for the houses so it should be able to be repaired, they shouldn't be leasing out a property to people in this condition.
"They knew about the pipe before I even took this property.
"Me and my kids don't deserve to live in something like this."
A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: "A problem with a drain caused water to get into the area under the home at Ryefield Avenue. The drain has now been repaired. Specialist contractors were called in to assess the property.
"They found that there was no evidence of the water causing rising damp inside the home.
"The contractors suggested ways of removing the water more quickly but it was felt that this wasn't necessary as it was clearing naturally without causing any problems.
"There is certainly no question of the Council refusing to carry out the work suggested because of the cost.
"There is condensation within the home and we recognise that this can lead to difficult and uncomfortable conditions.
"The mould is now gone but we are putting a fungicidal treatment on two of the walls and we will seal the back door where garden pests were getting into the house.
"Condensation is often caused when a home isn't heated or ventilated enough. There can also be problems where rooms have a lot of furniture in them. These are issues we are addressing with the tenant."
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Maggie
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Nov 30 09 11:36
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My heart goes out to that poor girl, imagine have to live in those conditions. I hope the council do something to fix her problem - who wants to bring a baby into the world in to that enviroment?
Alison Saunders
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Nov 30 09 11:39
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thats disgusting its a disgrace that we pay tax and yet this poor mother has to live in this mess with her kids growing up and they are getting ill from thes conditions. the council should be ashamed of themselvs that they are putting people in third world conditions.
TB1970
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Nov 30 09 11:40
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I think its disgusting the way some people are treated by the council. Imagine putting that family in a house when they knew there was a problem already. I would like to see someone from the council living there!
BobM
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Nov 30 09 11:41
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Damp can cause serious health problems, the counci shouldn't put a young family in a house like that. Surely there are other houses availalbe especially in an emergency situation like this. She shouldnt be sleeping in her living room and it could make her sick specially when shes pregnant, she shouldnt be in these dangerous conditions.
sally
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Nov 30 09 11:43
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you cant expect luxury if you live in a council house, everybody has problems you just have to deal with them and not go moaning to everyone.
Big Rab
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Nov 30 09 11:47
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The council says the conditions are \'difficult and uncomfotable\' but it is obvious they are actually unacceptablle.
If the council can\'t afford to pay for the damages they need to rehouse this poor woman and her wee lassie.
Gary Pearson
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Dec 2 09 02:37
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Is there no depth to the gravity that Renfrewshire Council will stoop, when it comes to knowingly handing out houses not fit for living in? The cost of repair is not the concern of the tenant, there is no exemption to any landlord for being a bit short on the repair budget that allows landlords particularly the council to treat this young mother in such a despicable way.
With winter here the problem will get worse with high water levels in the ground. This property needs to be put right with the tenant being decanted to a house fit to inhabit. I want to ask the Council why they are putting this mother and her child at risk of catching numerous myco- toxic infections spread by inhalation. These myco - toxins kill in particular the very young and the very old. Damp, mouldy homes cause fatigue to 100 PERCENT OF INHABITANTS. How can children learn at school when their chests wheeze or their noses won’t stop dribbling due to a list as long as your arm of effects due to damp housing? Renfrew Council is killing their own tenants, babies and pensioners taking the brunt of the casualties.
I was a Remedial works surveyor working on contract for Renfrewshire council in early 2001 after 13 months I resigned the contract due to the council sending back reports through their contracted quantity surveyors employed as a barrier to ensure that the words unfit for habitation are never inserted on a survey report. At a meeting requested by the council they told me to play the game and change reports after all the contract was worth 2.5 million pounds to my company over three years and there would be more juicy contracts to come if I was a good team player. I cannot repeat in a family newspaper exactly what I did say however I will say I have never been so insulted in my life at the councils offer of bribery for contracts, or hush money to the enlightened.
Finally the question must be asked why are your councilors not asking for the departments head on a plate, given that Renfrewshire Council ran an illegal housing policy for years 93 to 2007 and may I add for their own benefit and all organized by the very greedy ex provost and expenses mad councilor Ronnie Burns and a number of others who were happy to benefit from the illegal housing policy and help themselves to as may houses as possible that they could steal.
Here is an example of what Linstone did to my parents with their refusal to do any work. Incidentally a provost burn was also on their committee, with most of their staff recruited from Renfrewshire Council also.
Please if any other readers are out there please complain and show Renfrewshire Council the people are fed up with living in their mismanagedsh*t holes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YADEu23We4
Tom Baker
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Dec 6 09 10:58
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What is more disgusting is the ignorance of the press in this story. As usual the headline is taking a swipe at the landlord without exploring fully the story behind. I have seen a lot of similar type scenarios over the years and have been involved in trying to resolve the issues.
In my opinion the biggest problem with modern living is the cost of energy. For people on low income as I suspect the tenant in this story will be heating a house properly and ventilating to remove moisture from cooking, drying clothes and breathing will be low priority. Yes there may or may not be an issue with flooding below the property but in my experience this will dry out in a few weeks no matter what the weather is like.
However if any property is not kept warm and ventilated, condensation and mould will appear, and by the way where do you think this mould comes from?........Its all around you right now! Its in the air, its on surfaces, but's its dormant and doing no harm. It only becomes active and starts to multiply i.e. black mould, when conditions are right i.e. high moisture content in the air and walls.
Why does the press not look at the cost of fuel for heating and the massive profits being made by ALL the energy companies in relation to this story? getting the property heated properly would most likely resolve the tenants problems within a few days along with surface treatments to the property to kill the mould.
Oh and by the way the tenant won't be helping the situation, she will be sitting back blaming everyone but herself for the issues despite advice being given as to how to resolve, did she say to the reporter she couldn't afford to heat the house, most likely not, she just blames the council and anyone else she sees fit for her woes.
And the ex council surveyor should be aware that if he is concerned re malpractice in the council then this should be taken to the Scottish Government for investigation taking snipes on a website don't cut it mate stand up and be counted.
alan nimmo
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Feb 8 10 22:02
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tom you sound like a renfrewshire council worker get a grip u nuggit how can it be her fault but thats right it aint the council fault oh no there never at fault bunch of bodgers pmsfl oh and by the way if pamelas house and mine where run by a private landlord this wouldnt of happened as there legally binded to have house water tight and no damp so how can u say its not councils fault of course it is there breaking the law as it states in my lease my house should have heating but did it nawwwwwww if you look up what bl;ack mould can do to a pregnant woman you will change yer story dampness in walls releases pores into the atmosphere that can cause cancer so goin back to college in do a course in being a bawlbag 8)
alan nimmo
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Feb 9 10 19:48
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i have the same problem my flat has never had the storage heaters working as the control panel for them was cut at the mains maybe because there faulty or just ancient this was noticed str8 away by me as i luv my heat two years down the line still no storage heaters i had an inspector out and he just passed the buck to electric company surely they should have checked or fixed this b4 i moved in not only that i had a pack of cats with kittens underneath my kids floorboards as they were getting in through a vent underneath my kids window so i phoned council. na we cant touch them there protected arghhhh so 2 weeks passed with hardly any sleep as the kittens were miaowing all nite so eventually i had to get them out myself but to my horror the kittens were stuck to floor via tar 4 kittens all huddled together stuckfast but all still moving so i had to cut them out of tar and removed when rspca came they wur shocked i knew then thats them pan bread and they did if only council got them out when i phoned them 2 weeks prior maybe the wee kits had a chance and this is my point my kids bedroom was covered in black mould my room was covered in it and my bathroom due to no good heating plus dodgy drainage outside my backdoor there matresss was ruined there bed clothes carpets wallpaper all ruined did they care naw so me and my kids have to sleep in living room all huddled together as living room is only place without mould there getting rent for a 2 bedroom house but it aint a 2 bedroom house its a single room as all others are inhabitble maybe 1 day ill get cenral heating and get the dampness problem fixed but doubt it very much the council are too busy in pulling down better houses than my flat maybe my flat will be next to get bulldozed maybe thats why they wont fix
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