Allergic woman with asthmatic son says she has been in 19-year battle with council over mould in her home
- Carrieanne Mee, 35, feels ‘neglected’ and ‘fearing for her child’s health’
- Family claim to be in a ‘constant limbo’ with council over the hazardous mould
Published: 16:11, 5 January 2024 | Updated: 16:13, 5 January 2024
A woman has shared her ’19-year battle’ with Council which has left her feeling ‘neglected’ and ‘fearing for her child’s health’.
Carrieanne Mee and her mother, Karen, who is the main tenant at the property, say they have been in ‘constant limbo’ with the council ever since they moved into the Chaddesden property almost two decades ago.
The property has always had mould problems according to Carrieanne and they had previously purchased a private mould clean to rid the walls, windows and cracks of any hazardous material.
The pair live in Derby, Derbyshire with Carieanne’s 11-year-old son and two dogs.
Carrieanne’s son is heavily asthmatic as well as having several physical and mental disabilities and Carrieanne herself, aged 35, is allergic to penicillin, which itself is made from mould.
Carrieanne Mee and her mother, Karen, say they have been in ‘constant limbo’ with the council ever since they moved into the Chaddesden property almost two decades ago
Carrieanne’s son is heavily asthmatic as well as having several physical and mental disabilities and Carrieanne herself, aged 35, is allergic to penicillin, which itself is made from mould
Miss Mee said that in recent months, she has been feeling the harsh effects of the mould and has experienced the physical effects, particularly in the property’s kitchen, where it is thought to be the most severe.
Carrieanne said: ‘When I sit in the kitchen – or even walk through it sometimes – my eyes start streaming really heavily and they become really sore. I also keep feeling really painful headaches if I stay in the kitchen too long.
‘And it’s worse for my son, due to his Asthma. He will come in and spend less than a few minutes in the kitchen and he will start coughing really heavily, it’s not acceptable for a child to live here.
‘I’m now having to consider being homeless rather than staying here.
I can’t keep letting my son stay in a place with possible toxic mould.
‘In my honest opinion, this is absolutely no place fit for animals to live in, let alone humans.’
Carrieanne says that following her most recent message to the council, they had said that they would be sending someone to further assess the state of the property, but did not give any clue as to when this would happen.
Carrieanne is now left feeling anxious as she waits for assistance for a problem that she claims has spanned the best part of 20 years.
The property has always had mould problems according to Carrieanne and they had previously purchased a private mould clean to rid the walls, windows and cracks of any hazardous material
A spokesperson for Derby Homes said that they had fitted an extractor fan back in June to help with ventilation after being contacted by Carrieanne back in April.
The statement from the spokesperson says: ‘Our records indicate that Ms Mee contacted us in April 2023 regarding the presence of mould in the kitchen.
‘An extractor fan was fitted on 2 June to improve ventilation. ‘There are no further reports of any problem until yesterday when Ms Mee contacted us to report the presence of mould in the kitchen, living room and bathroom.
‘We have raised an order for a technician to visit her, explore the source of the problem, and treat any existing mould.
‘We have also arranged for our housing management team to visit and establish the composition of the household.’
References
- ^ Ivan Prothero (www.dailymail.co.uk)