Veteran trapped in mouldy and damp council home finds 'neighbour's poo in bath'
A furious veteran who lives in a council flat riddled with damp and mould claims he found his'neighbour's poo in his bath'.
Alan Matthews says he has been dealing with black mould and mushrooms growing on the damp walls and crumbling floor tiles at his home in Tunstall, Staffordshire, for three years. The 76-year-old said: "The problems started two to three years ago when my neighbour in the flat above had a wetroom fitted and it leaked. The water came into my property and completely ruined the walls.
"Black mould grew and the council sent someone out, knocked it back to brick, and then replastered. I had to repaint everything myself. In 2022, another leak happened - this time more severe - to the point where my carpet was damaged. I put a claim into the council's insurance company for £800 to replace my carpet, but I never heard anything back again. The council came out and supposedly fixed the problem again by knocking the walls back to brick and replastering. A family member ended up buying a new carpet for me because I hadn't heard back from the insurance. It cost them £600."
"Then on Boxing Day 2022, I went to visit my two terminally-ill brothers for three months in Australia. I had a friend visiting the property every now and then whilst I was gone. She called me and told me that the neighbour's flat must have leaked again and my entire flat was flooded. The water was coming down the walls.
Black mould and mushrooms grew in Alan Matthew's home whilst attending his brother's funeral in Australia in March 2023 (Alan Matthews)"This water could have been there for up to 10 days because that was the length of time between my friend's visits to my house. My friends removed my damaged sofa, carpets and curtains along with other furnishings and put them outside my flat. A family member took my undamaged personal belongings and they still remain in storage now. Workmen supposedly knocked the sodden plaster back to brick and did the same again as they had done twice already before."
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Mr Matthews said when he returned to the UK in March he put both a complaint and an insurance claim into the council saying the home wasn't fit for habitation.
"There was black mould and mushrooms growing on the walls, the floor felt unsafe, and even the light fittings had rusted and had mould growing on them," he continued.
"The council put me up in a hotel for seven days whilst they put a dehumidifier in my lounge and again knocked the plaster back to brick and replastered. They said they couldn't justify putting me up in a hotel anymore when they deemed the flat habitable. The kitchen, bathroom and bedroom were not affected so I was advised to return home, despite not having a sofa, carpet, TV, or any furnishings in the lounge."
Alan Matthews' bathroom was damaged by the leak, and was replastered by Stoke-on-Trent City Council (StokeOnTrentLive)"At the end of March one of my brothers passed away, so I had to go back to Australia for a while to arrange and attend his funeral. Every time I've been to Australia I have made the council aware of my situation and that I would be away from my property for quite some time."
"Whilst I was away, my friend was looking after my property and she could smell damp and noticed mould on the walls. She leaned on the bathroom wall in the hallway to peer round and her hand went straight through the wall."
"Tragically, my other brother also passed away whilst I was in Australia, so I didn't end up getting back home until June 26. As the council didn't replace the furnishings because this was something the insurance should cover, I've had to borrow a sofa, a TV, and a TV stand as I came home to nothing."
"My neighbour's poo was in my bath because of the leaks, and I had to have a portapotty, which the council was coming and emptying every day. It was disgusting, and it was only taken away less than a month ago."
"I haven't smoked for more than 30 years and I used to serve in the army, so I've always been fit and healthy. Now I've got a constant cough and I've started to suffer with chest infections and I'm certain it's because of the damp and mouldy conditions I'm forced to live in."
Mr Matthews has had numerous issues with his council flat over the last two to three years and says his home 'is not fit to live in'. (StokeOnTrentLive)"I'm living in my bedroom because the rest of my flat isn't fit to live in. The council says it's habitable because it has a bathroom, a kitchen and a bedroom, even though the lounge is growing mould, as is the bathroom and hallway, so I have to wipe the walls multiple times every day."
"I need to have surgery on my shoulder but I can't because I would need to rest and recover at home and the air quality is too poor here and it's not a comfortable place to live."
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"It's so difficult to get through to anyone. I don't use the internet or smartphones and now I have to travel to Stoke to speak to a councillor."
Chris Robinson, the councillor who is in charge of housing, said the was aware of Mr Matthew's case.
He said: "We are aware of the issues Mr Matthews has had with his property and have been working closely with him since March 2023 to rectify them. The damage to Mr Matthews' home was caused by a leak from a neighbouring property. Since then, teams from Unitas have carried out extensive plastering, electrical and redecoration works at Persia Walk. While this work was being carried out, we were able to temporarily re-house Mr Matthews, ensuring he had a dry and safe place to stay. Mr Matthews has now returned to the property and a follow-up visit has been undertaken by our surveyor who has confirmed the property is in a good condition overall.
"We understand that Mr Matthews is proceeding with a claim for damages which is being processed by our insurance provider, Zurich. We have now contacted Zurich and requested that the tenant's claim is looked at urgently."
"As Stoke-on-Trent's biggest social landlord, we have a responsibility to ensure all of our homes are safe and well maintained. We have recently updated a number of housing policies to ensure our services remain fit-for-purpose and our work continues. We are currently developing a new policy to specifically address problems associated with damp and mould to ensure all residents have safe, warm and comfortable homes to live in."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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