20 February 2023 , 16:08
882
0
A mum has claimed her damp and mouldy council house has left her son "disfigured" with sores all over his body.
Catherine Odigie, 42, Stockwell, says her nine-year-old son Raphael has suffered from itchy skin and swollen eyes and lips because of the problems in her house.
Ms Odigie says the problems first started in her property on the the Mursell estate after she suspected a leaking water tank in her block was causing damp and mould.
She said she complained to Lambeth council about the problem but 10 years on her bedroom walls and ceilings have allegedly been left covered in black mould.
Ms Odigie claims her son has suffered skin problems due to the mould in the property.
Greggs, Costa & Pret coffees have 'huge differences in caffeine', says report
Catherine Odigie claims her son Raphael, nine, suffers from itchy skin and swollen eyes and lips (Catherine Odigie)She told My London: “All his skin has been disfigured because of the mould and damp problem. He is on full medication from the GP because they don’t know what else to do for him.
“It’s scratch, scratch, scratch. It’s like sores all over his body and it’s itchy. His eyes and lips are swollen and he has been sleeping downstairs for the last few years. His teacher said he was coming to school tired all the time. He can’t have a good sleep because of the problem and it’s affecting his education.”
Ms Odigie said her mould and damp nightmare started two years after moving into the flat, while pregnant with Raphael.
Problems had gotten so bad in the upstairs bedrooms, Ms Odigie was forced to sleep downstairs in her living whilst pregnant.
When Lambeth Council finally treated the problem, the mould and damp returned even worse in the following years because the leak remained unfixed, Ms Odigie claims.
Ms Odigie says she was forced to sleep downstairs during her pregnancy (Catherine Odigie)In August 2012, an independent surveyor inspected Ms Odigie's property and who wrote a list of the issues that needed fixing.
But when workmen sent by the council arrived to solve the issue, Ms Odigie claims they sprayed the household with mould killer.
“It was like something you could buy at the supermarket. I couldn’t believe it. I could have done that", she said. "The problem is with the building. The mould is going to come back if you just wipe it and don’t sort out the leak.”
A doctor recommended Ms Odigie and her family be moved to to a less mouldy property in an attempt to relieve Raphael's symptoms, in a 2020 letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Ms Odigie wants to move (Catherine Odigie)Ms Odigie says she was shocked to find she was allocated Band D - the lowest priority for rehousing - and was only eligible for a one-bedroom flat.
'I tricked my sister into giving her baby a stupid name - she had it coming'
When she appealed, Ms Odigie said the council moved her up the priority list by just one step to Band C2.
She said: “My GP said that Lambeth hadn’t even been in touch in December last year, even though I filed a medical assessment about Raphael with them.
"Lambeth now has an arbitration scheme for repairs but I don’t trust it. How can we trust Lambeth and their own solicitors? Do people think we are fools or what?”
The Mirror has contacted Lambeth Council for comment.