A CARE worker from Tidworth is calling on her housing association to address the chronic mould problem in her building.

Lauren Hunt, 30, has been fighting provider Aster to be moved out of her mould-infested flat which is affecting her young son’s severe asthma.

The mother-of-three moved into Malmesbury House on Wylye Road in Tidworth in September 2017, and says it quickly became apparent that there was a mould problem in the building.

She lives with her partner and three children: Heidi, eight, Edward, four, and Charlotte, four months.

“It’s in the back bedroom, the boiler cupboard, the bathroom, the living room and around all the windows,” she said.

She recalled how, one winter, the children’s advent calendars became mouldy, while a homemade Christmas decoration made by her son became “wet, doughy and disintegrated”.

“I have lost lots of furniture and clothing. The beds were so mouldy that my children had to sleep on mattresses for four months,” she said.

“When we eventually get a new property, we will have to bin about 80 per cent of our furniture.”

SEE ALSO: Mother-of-three ‘desperate’ after mould in flat causes 10-week-old baby to be rushed to hospital

Lauren, who is on maternity leave from her job as a domiciliary carer, says that the main advice from Aster has been to heat the property, and to open the windows, but says that that disregards the chronic problem for all 33 residents of the building.

“I have done everything they have told me to do,” she said.

“They told me to buy a tumble dryer, so I did.

“We open the windows, but in the winter they want me to do it while I heat my property. With the rising prices of gas, I might as well just go outside and burn £100 in the garden, because that’s essentially what I’m doing!”

She said that, while Aster has “treated” the mould, all it has done is cover up the problem with plaster and paint, not solve it.

“It’s like they know what they’re going to say before they even walk through the door and it’s disgusting,” said Lauren.

Lauren’s son Edward is asthmatic, and doctors have recommended that he is prioritised for being moved out of the flat due to the impact on his condition.

“It’s so distressing,” said Lauren.

“I’m having to pin my child down to give him extra medication. I’ve had nightmares that our flat is just engulfed with mould. Their home should be a safe place.

“When I gave birth to my daughter, I felt sick and cried in hospital knowing the home I was having to bring her back to after fighting all year to try and get us out before she was due.”

She added that she speaks not only for her own family, but many other residents who have sent her photos of the problem in their own flats.

“It’s riddled the whole building,” she said.

“Other residents all have issues in exactly the same places. They are not actually getting to the root of the issue.”

SEE ALSO: Andover family rescued from mould hell

She continued: “This is my story, but I also want to be a voice for all the tenants between the three blocks. Instead of addressing the issue, Aster blames their residents.

“How they sleep at night I will never know.”

A spokesperson for Aster Group said: “We’re sorry to hear about the issues our customers have experienced. We’re only aware of one property in Malmesbury House recently experiencing mould and condensation. We’ve been trying to resolve this further to our customer reporting it for our attention. We will arrange for our surveyor to make contact with this customer to explore the issue further and hopefully address the causes of condensation in their home.

“We will also arrange for our surveyor to make contact with the remaining customers in Malmesbury House to carry out property inspections and work with them on any issues that are identified.”

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