Fishersgate grandmother ‘goes to bed soaking wet’ in damp and mould-caked flat

A grandmother has said she has slept in a soaking wet bed for over three years after being left in a damp, mould-ridden flat.
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Nancy O’Neill, 62, said her ground-floor flat in St Aubyn’s Road, Fishersgate, had been saturated since she moved in three-and-a-half years ago, and she had been denied a move by Adur council.

The council said there was no issue with damp arising from defects in the building and said advice on condensation had been offered.

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The grandmother, who lives alone with her dog, suffers from arthritis and a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary diseased (COPD), which she said was made worse by the damp. “I wake up at four in the morning, soaked right through,” she said.

Nancy O'Neill from Fishersgate is unhappy with the poor condition of her flat. Pic Steve Robards SR2007271 SUS-200727-173514001Nancy O'Neill from Fishersgate is unhappy with the poor condition of her flat. Pic Steve Robards SR2007271 SUS-200727-173514001
Nancy O'Neill from Fishersgate is unhappy with the poor condition of her flat. Pic Steve Robards SR2007271 SUS-200727-173514001

“It’s terrible, I’m really suffering. My food goes mouldy after a couple of days, it’s freezing cold all the time.

“The council just don’t care. They’ve neglected me.”

The claim was refuted by the council.

Nancy went on to say bread went stale rapidly and sugar stuck together and hardens if left uncovered for any length of time. She said had slept in the lounge since the bed became too saturated and spends several nights a week at her daughter’s house. Her 13-year-old granddaughter cannot visit her as the flat is too damp.

Nancy’s condition, COPD, makes breathing difficult in normal conditions, but she said her occupational therapist had written to the council twice to say the flat was unfit for her to live in.

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Since then, the council had painted over some of the mould, she said, but blamed the damp on condensation despite her protestations that she has to keep her windows open at all times to keep the flat aired. Nancy’s daughter, Sophie Cooper, has supported her mum’s campaign to be moved flat and said she feared for her safety. “The main thing is her health, particularly with Covid around,” she said.

“She’s had to buy bedding after bedding because it’s all soaked through.

Her flat’s cold and wet, even in the summer.”

Her mother had also had a mouse infestation when she first moved in over three years ago, which had thankfully been brought under control, she added.

A spokesman for the council rejected Nancy’s claims of neglect and said she had been advised on ‘numerous occasions’.

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“There is no issue of dampness arising from defects in the building,” said the spokesman.

“A number of investigations by ourselves and an independent expert have shown this.

“However, there is an issue of condensation and we have advised Mrs O’Neill about measures she can take to alleviate this including placement of furniture where she sleeps and the correct use of her heating system. Humidistat fans have also been installed in the bathroom and kitchen to help control the levels of moisture.

“As far as a transfer is concerned we have reminded Mrs O’Neill that a move to another part of the South Coast is out of our control and sits with the relevant housing authority.”