- Kerry Fothergill, 40, has lived in the home in Gateshead since February 2021
- She claims has been dealing with a mould problem since June of that year
- Have you got a nightmare mould story? Email: [email protected]
A mother-of-four says her mouldy council home is so terrible it has left her children with ‘bad chests’ and forced her youngest son to sleep in her bedroom.
Kerry Fothergill, 40, has lived in her home in Greenside in Gateshead since February 2021 and has been dealing with a mould problem since June that year.
The fungal infestation has got so bad that Ms Fothergill, who is deaf, plans to take her children to stay in a hotel for one night over the school holidays.
Ms Fothergill said: ‘It’s affecting me and my four children. We have not been well. We have got bad chests and bad coughs. We have been sick and are very cold. I have spent lots on money on gas too.
‘It’s affecting me and my four children. We have not been well. We have got bad chests and bad coughs. We have been sick and are very cold. I have spent lots on money on gas too.’
Kerry Fothergill (pictured), 40, has lived in her home in Greenside in Gateshead since February 2021 and has been dealing with a mould problem since June that year
Ms Fothergill with her four children: Ruby, eight, Thomas, seven, Scarlett, four, and Poppy, three. She said: ‘We have lost toys and clothes have been damp with mould. They can’t use or play with the toys upstairs’
Black mould in Ms Fothergill’s home. Ms Fothergill said: ‘It’s affecting me and my four children. We have not been well. We have got bad chests and bad coughs. We have been sick and are very cold. I have spent lots on money on gas too’
Mould in Ms Fothergill’s bathroom. She said: ‘My two older children are not happy, they are very angry and upset. My son really wants to sleep in his own bedroom but he can’t because my son’s bed is damp and mouldy’
Gateshead Council, who own the property, are aware of the issues with mould and have cleaned the house four times but Ms Fothergill claims the mould keeps getting worse.
She said: ‘I’m very angry and disappointed. There’s water on the ceiling and the walls and the council dismiss this. It’s in all the rooms, all three bedrooms and the toilet, the stairs, the kitchen and the shed as well.
Ms Fothergill’s four children – Ruby, eight, Thomas, seven, Scarlett, four, and Poppy, three – have also been deeply affected by their mouldy home.
The mother said: ‘We have lost toys and clothes have been damp with mould. They can’t use or play with the toys upstairs.
‘My two older children are not happy, they are very angry and upset. My son really wants to sleep in his own bedroom but he can’t because my son’s bed is damp and mouldy.
‘My son shares with me and the three girls are in their bedroom. I am only asleep four hours. I’m not letting people visit my house because my house is very cold and it all looks black.’
Ms Fothergill (pictured), who is deaf, says the mould problem has gotten so bad that she plans to take her children to stay in a hotel for one night over the school holidays
Gateshead Council, who own the property, are aware of the issues with mould and have cleaned the house four times but Ms Fothergill claims the mould keeps getting worse
The damp and mould in her home has led Ms Fothergill to start to consider moving out of Gateshead. A Gateshead Council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the issues at the property and are working with the tenant to resolve them as soon as possible’
Despite being told by the council to wait to be told a date they can visit the property and address the issues, Ms Fothergill has started to look to move out of Gateshead entirely.
Ms Fothergill claims that she has told the council about the issues ‘many, many times’ and that they still keep ignoring the issues.
A Gateshead Council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the issues at the property and are working with the tenant to resolve them as soon as possible.’
