Family living in 'nightmare' as Wigan Council house covered in mould

For the best part of two years, Kerry Williams says she was fighting to get out of a council property on Balmoral Drive, Higher Folds, as the house was covered in damp and mould.

After getting assistance from the 'Leigh & Atherton Independents' group, Kerry was relocated to a property on Royal Drive, also in Higher Folds, in October 2022.

James Morley, a member of the local political network, said that while the move seemed "ideal" at first, it quickly turned into a "nightmare".

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Mould pictured in the property on Balmoral Drive (Image: Kerry Williams)

Mould causing health problems

Shortly after moving into her new property on Royal Drive, Kerry and her 14-year-old son found that the council property was also full of damp and mould.

Following a short stay in the property, the family began suffering from illnesses and chest infections, Kerry said.

Items of clothing have had to be thrown away due to the mould growing on them, while kitchen utensils have had to constantly be washed from returning bacteria.

To make matters dangerously worse, a gas leak was also reported at the property and a broken boiler left them without heating or hot water for days on end.

Large amounts of damp in the Royal Drive property (Image: Kerry Williams)

Kerry, 45, said: "I can't even put our clothes away as there is mould and damp in the cupboard. I've had to throw so much away, I had to get new kitchen drawers because mould started to come through on those.

"There is no storage in the property so I've had to put pots and pans on shelves under the stairs, but the mould keeps coming on them.

"The list goes on but this shouldn't be happening. I just want a nice place that I can call home."

Mould on clothes in Kerry's house (Image: Kerry Williams)

Kerry said she has had to throw multiple items of clothing, accessories, and utensils away (Image: Kerry Williams)

Wigan Council aware of the problem

Wigan Council, which owns both properties Kerry has been living in, says it is aware of the problems she has been facing and states that contractors have already carried out a number of repairs.

With a promise to provide "good quality housing", the local authority says it takes "all reports of damp and mould seriously" and it has followed the "standard process" to assess the property and determine what action needs to be taken.

“We continue to work with the tenant and contractors to complete the remaining works", a spokesperson said.

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Another example of mould in the Royal Drive property (Image: Kerry Williams)

Another example of damp in the property (Image: Kerry Williams)

Situation impacting Kerry's mental health

While councillors and contractors have been out to assess the problems, Kerry says she has been left waiting in an unsafe property for months.

Her calls for repairs have often gone unanswered, she said, and jobs that were agreed upon have taken weeks to repair.

Living amid this stress, and the damp and mould that surrounds her, has severely impacted Kerry's mental health and has resulted in her taking antidepressants and sleeping tablets to cope with the situation.

She said her case is similar to others in council properties on the Higher Folds estate.

Kerry said her physical and mental health has been affected by the situation (Image: Kerry Williams)

Wigan Council say they are aware of the problem and will work to repair it (Image: Kerry Williams)

Kerry, who is a carer by profession, added: "I just want to live in a property that is suitable for living.

"I shouldn't have had to live like this for 12 weeks, it should have been done before you moved in.

"I want to get myself back to how I was, stop taking my tablets, and get my job back. This is how much it has affected me."