Onward Homes: Mum blames damp and mould in flat for child's illness

Olivia Peak, 24, says an ongoing leak in her flat has caused damp and mould to build up in her children’s bedroom which she believes one of her daughters is “constantly getting ill” because of it.

The mum-of-two, who has lived in the Onward Homes property off Gigg Lane for three years, said she first discovered the issue around a month ago after redecorating her daughters’ bedroom, during which she discovered her children’s belongings were covered in mould.

She said: “I changed the girls' room around and redecorated it and as I moved my daughter’s cot I saw the shoe boxes all had mould on them, so I thought ‘there must be a bit of damp somewhere'.

Olivia says a leak appeared from an air vent in her daughter's bedroom around a month ago (Image: Olivia Peak)

“It wasn’t until maybe two or three weeks later, when I came back from my partner’s house and it was raining on the day and the air vent was gushing with water.

“I rang up numerous times about it and no one came out until about three weeks ago.”

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Olivia says Onward partially fixed the issue by repairing holes on the other side of the wall which reduced by did not completely stop the leak.

She then noticed water damage had spread.

She said: “A few days later I realised all the carpets in the same area were absolutely soaking and as they day went on it got more and more wet.

“As I’ve pulled the carpet up it was like a puddle underneath my carpet and a patch of black mould from where its all been damp.”

Olivia says damp and mould have built up as a result of leaks (Image: Olivia Peak)

Although two repair men have been sent to investigate, Olivia still does not know what is causing the leak and that the issue returns “every time it rains".

She added that additional issues have since been discovered including a rusty radiator pipe in her front room.

She said: “It's been over a month now where I have been ringing up Onwards, they send one person out, they can’t do nothing then they send another person out.

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“It’s just unbelievable.”

Olivia said she believes the damp is behind ongoing respiratory issues suffered by her two daughters Leyla-Grace, three, and one-year-old Zenaya, who she says has been particularly badly affected.

She said: “My youngest daughter has had chest infections, coughs, I’ve had three ambulances out in the last month because of her chest and her breathing.

“When I take her to the doctor’s they say there’s no underlying health issues and when I’ve explained about the damp, they say it could only be one thing.

“How much longer are my children not going to be able to sleep in their room and have to sleep in a box room with me?”

A spokesperson for Onward said: “We acknowledge that this has been a distressing time for Ms Peak and her family and are working to put this right as quickly as possible.

"After Ms Peak first reported the leak, we visited her on the same day to make her home safe.

“Since then, we have carried out surveys to understand the issues at Ms Peak’s home and will be completing the repairs to her roof next week.

"We are in touch with Ms Peak to understand if she needs any extra support from us in the meantime and will provide compensation for the damage caused.

"We would encourage any residents who have spotted damp and mould in their home to report this to us straightaway.”