'I worry about mould affecting my family's lungs'

"For 22-year-old avid reader Caitlin Brady, the bedroom of her family home, filled with shelves of books, soft toys and comics, should be a sanctuary. Instead, being there only reminds Caitlin of how much persistent mould has affected her and her family over the past five years. "My pillow was getting wet all the time from droplets coming from the ceiling. I had to change to the other side of the bed after I kept being woken up by this,""

"Caitlin's bedroom has an exterior-facing wall, which means she experiences the worst of the mould problem. Her walls often drip with water, and her possessions have become covered in a blotchy dark green film. "I found mould on my grandad's stuff; he only died last year. I was able to wipe it off, but when I saw that, I was fuming. "When I'm taking selfies, I zoom in so people don't see the mould. It's crazy, but if you don't laugh, you'll cry.""

Caitlin Brady and her mother Lorraine McGrath live in a Croydon Council-owned home in Purley that has suffered persistent mould for five years. Caitlin's exterior-facing bedroom walls often drip with water and possessions are covered in blotchy dark green film. The mould has ruined belongings and raised worries about long-term lung damage, particularly for Caitlin who has asthma. The family has purchased multiple dehumidifiers and sometimes move items or change sleeping sides when droplets fall from the ceiling. The council began responding in 2023 with more than ten workers carrying out temporary mould washes, but no permanent solution has been implemented.

Read at www.bbc.com