'I stepped into my friend's home - and I knew immediately she had to get out'

27 November 2023 , 22:26

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The elderly woman's bedroom covered in deadly mould (Image: Janet Reynolds / SWNS)

A blind and frail pensioner could have been 'dead within a month' if she hadn't moved out of her mould-infested home, it's been claimed.

A friend of the elderly lady said she was 'horrified' after walking into her bungalow and found it was infested with rats and covered in deadly fungus. Janet Reynolds, 44, had met up with her former colleague - who does not want to be named - every Thursday for past 20 years. However, when Covid hit in March 2020 she stopped allowing her into the house.

But around four weeks ago the pair went out for a cup of tea and Janet was asked by her friend to help clean the bungalow. As she stepped inside, she was horrified by the scenes in every room.

The mould covered the walls and ceilings (Janet Reynolds / SWNS)

Janet said that 'everything' was covered in mould, including the walls, furniture and all of her friend’s possessions. She was told the pensioner - who is registered blind suffers from early onset heart failure - would have been dead within the month if she hadn't moved out, reports Manchester Evening News.

The chef, from Swindon, said: "The house was covered in thick, black mould - it was horrendous. I could barely be in there myself. I’ve known this lady for 20 years - we used to work together. She thinks of me like a daughter.

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Janet cleaning her friend's home (Janet Reynolds / SWNS)

"But after Covid happened, she stopped letting me into the house. I thought it was odd - but four weeks ago, she asked me for help cleaning. As soon as I stepped in, I knew she needed to get out. Everything was covered, and she was on antibiotics for double pneumonia."

Since Covid, the pensioner has been living without central heating and bathing with water from a kettle. Janet 'begged and pleaded' with her friend to move in with her instead - while she sought help to refurbish the house.

More than £11,000 has been raised to help the pensioner (Janet Reynolds / SWNS)

She set up a GoFundMe page - which has since raised £11,950 - to pay for local tradespeople, fumigators and supplies. "A man from the local damp company was the first person to help," she added.

"He looked around, and said she’d have been dead within the month if we hadn’t moved her out. Everything was just infested with rats. We had to bin all her worldly possessions - clothes, furniture, even her old photos.

The pensioner is registered blind (Janet Reynolds / SWNS)

"All she has now are the clothes on her back. Local tradespeople started seeing the GoFundMe and offered their services and supplies. She’ll be getting a new central heating system, the rats have been pest-controlled, we’re going to take up the rotten flooring and dehumidify the damp.

"She’ll need a whole new set of furniture, too. It’s been gutted - everything was just caked in thick, black mould. It’s a bit of a shell, now."

Work on the bungalow is expected to be finished by January (Janet Reynolds / SWNS)

Despite feeling 'a little embarrassed', Janet’s friend feels overwhelmed by the number of people who came out to help. She added: "She’s a very proud lady. I told her, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

"She started crying - she can’t believe how generous everyone’s been. The situation was really desperate." Janet estimates work will be completed on the house by early January - but it’s heavily reliant on donations from members of the community."

Hannah Van De Peer