A TODDLER has been left with black mould on her skin after damp in her home spiralled out of control.
The two-year-old child’s mum – who did not wish to be named – said the family-of-eight are all living in one room in the council property in Cardiff, South Wales.
She described water running down the walls and rooms riddled with damp, as well as black mould and slugs.
The mum-of-seven said: “It shouldn’t be somewhere for full time for family living.
“The children can’t play out the garden because of the rats from the food place, they can’t play out the front because of the main road, they are literally just stuck in this house with mould which is making them ill all the time.
“The baby has tried putting slugs in her mouth, I’m constantly on watch 24/7.”
She has been worried about the health and safety of her children ever since they were assigned the home in January 2023.
The damp and mould is so bad a Consultant Neonatologist at Cardiff and Vale Health Board has written to the local authority asking for the family’s living situation to be reviewed.
She said she was concerned it was contributing to the ill health of one of the children and is especially concerned about how the winter months will impact them.
The mum’s toddler – born seven weeks premature – suffered seizures due to viral illness and needed treatment in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the University Hospital of Wales in February.
The consultant told the council that she was “concerned her current living conditions are unfavourable and present a risk to her ongoing health and development”, reports WalesOnline.
Thankfully the tot survived the seizure but the family is concerned she’s still at risk due to the housing conditions.
The concerned mum added: “They said it’s where she’s so prone to infection and all the mould in the house, it’s causing her to get a temperature and then go into seizures.”
Despite urgent calls for Cardiff Council to review the situation and the worried mother “phoning the council every day” there has been little done about the situation.
“It’s going to get to the point for my daughter gets seriously ill or worse before something happens”, she added.
The family moved into the house in May last year with all seven kids under the age of 16, with the youngest being two-years-old.
As her kids are “constantly getting coughs and colds” their school attendance has dropped up to 60 per cent since they moved into the property.
They are “embarrassed” to have friends round due to the state of the property which includes piles of clothes on the floor as the mouldy wardrobes are unusable.
However as slugs are prone to entering the property, laundry has to be done constantly which is costing “a fortune.”
Due to the family’s size, they were allocated a larger property, but the desperate mum said she would move into somewhere smaller if it meant they didn’t have to live in their current residence.
She said: “I’d happily take a one bedroom flat, I’d take anything over this.
“There’s nowhere where I can just put my feet because of the slugs.”
Already three of the children are sleeping with their mum, with two daughters in a second room, and two boys in another.
After a break-in where a man climbed through one of the girls’ window in summer, the youngsters were “scared to stay” and were forced to bunk up instead.
“My sons say they’re hard as nails and stay on their own but otherwise we’re all together”, she complained.
Following the intrusion, the council warned not to open the windows as the house is situated on a busy main road.
However this exacerbates the mould and damp issue, leaving the family in a tough position.
The location of the house prevents the garden from being suitable, so the kids are more or less trapped inside.
In the past year the mum-of-seven has raised concerns for her children’s welfare but is also heavily impacted by the circumstance herself.
She said: “It’s making me ill too but I have to just keep going to look after them.”
Unfortunately the family has been told there is nothing the council can do, and it’s a “waiting game” until they can be allocated another home.
A council spokesperson told Wales Online: “We take reports of damp and mould in our council homes very seriously and have created a dedicated in-house damp and mould repairs team to supplement all our other maintenance teams.
“We understand tenants’ concerns and strive to respond swiftly when our repairs team receives a report.
Cardiff council said they weren’t able to access the property to conduct a damp inspection, and access for their contractor to perform planned work has been refused.
They added: “As soon as access is granted we will complete the required works which will include installing new double glazing where needed, applying mould treatment to rooms, improving ventilation, and repainting or wallpapering treated walls throughout the house.
“In response to reports of pests, pest control carried out a course of treatment over the summer, and further treatments can be arranged if necessary.
“Our teams will also inspect the property, when allowed access, to seal any entry points.”
The Sun has reached out to Cardiff Council for an update.
