A councillor has called on housing bosses to step in and help a desperate Paisley mum who claims severe dampness in her home is making her and her children sick.
Labour councillor Carolann Davidson says efforts by Renfrewshire Council’s housing officers to help Pauline Moran are “simply not enough” given the impact the mum-of-two says it is having on her life.
She is calling for the council to take “urgent” action to address the issue which has been ongoing since 2019.
Pauline, 42, previously told the Express that she has been fighting Renfrewshire Council for two years to fix her home after discovering dampness shortly after she moved in 2019.
The fed-up mum - who has lung condition COPD - claims the situation has become so bad that it is affecting her and children’s health, and her daughter has even been prescribed an inhaler as it is affecting her breathing.
But, despite her continued pleas to housing officers, including a letter sent by her doctor stating that the mould is affecting her lung condition, the council said is caused by high humidity levels, which result in condensation build up in the home.
A council spokeswoman said advice had been given to Pauline on how to reduce the levels of condensation in her home, sensors had been installed to monitor humidity levels and multiple repairs had been carried out.
The Paisley East and Central councillor, whose ward includes Pauline’s home on Chapelhill Road, said: “Whilst I understand that council officers have given advice on reducing condensation to Pauline, this is simply not enough as there is clearly still a problem.
“It is even more concerning that Pauline’s already serious health problem is being exacerbated by this mould, and that it is now impacting on her daughters’ health, and living with this on a day to day basis also has a massive impact on their mental health.
“Renfrewshire Council needs to look with all urgency at other methods of reducing the humidity levels in Pauline’s home and other houses affected by this ongoing problem before the onset of winter, when the mould and condensation will in all likelihood worsen.”
The Express previously published photographs which show multiple items of clothing and furniture covered in thick mould, with Pauline saying she has lost thousands of pounds to the chronic dampness in almost every room in her home.
Other issues which have turned her home into a nightmare include faulty and corroded hinges in her kitchen which have caused a number of her cupboard doors to fall off.
One cupboard door fell off the wall, leaving Pauline with a large laceration on her arm which needed hospital treatment.
Pauline, who lives at the Hunterhill address with her two children Kayla, 15, and Patrick, 13 - says she is now close to breaking point, with the ongoing saga causing a decline in her mental health.
She said: “I just can’t go on like this.,” said the 42-year-old.
“It is affecting every aspect of my life.
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“I have lost thousands of pounds because I have had to throw so many things away because of the dampness.
“I’m doing everything they have told me to do and nothing is working.
“The dampness is everywhere.”
Councillor Davidson added:“No one should have to live in these conditions. Whether it is caused by rising damp or other reasons, this dampness is not going to go away by simply opening a window.”
