Family's two-year damp hell
Published 3 Aug 2012 10:00
A HARDGATE woman stricken with a chronic chest illness has been waiting on repairs to fix dampness in her council home for TWO years.
Sylvia Lynn, 46, has been forced to share a bedroom with her daughter Skylar, 24, because her home at Irving Court is so riddled with dampness.
The distraught mum is stricken with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is left breathless after simple household tasks.
And she has been frustrated by the 24 month delay in repair work at her address because her common close is shared by owner occupiers.
The local authority requires consent before it can send in the workmen to do the necessary renovations at the property.
But Ms Lynn has been left at the end of her tether and she appealed to the council to sort out the mess as it is having a terrible effect on her health.
She said: "I have been living in these conditions for almost two years and I don't know where else to turn.
"There is rising damp in two of my rooms and I have a lung disease and these conditions make things more difficult for me. "I am taking more and more chest infections which means constant trips to my doctor for more medication.
"Things have got so bad in the flat that my 24-year-old daughter has to sleep on a mattress in my bedroom which means neither of us have any privacy, which is not ideal.
"The council have admitted they need to carry out the work but they say the other tenants have to agree to the work before it can be carried out.
"I have nothing against the home owner tenants but how much longer am I meant to live like this?"
"They have said they will replace the windows but what good will that do when the main problem is damp and the building needs restructure work not windows.
She added: "I had to take the first flat that I was offered due to circumstances. Every time I've phoned they've said that they need to wait but for how much longer."
A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: "The council wants to fix the dampness problems at this block of flats with an overcladding and render project in a future capital investment programme. Such a project would be a significant cost to the homeowners in the block and so it is important to consult with them before a decision is reached on whether this work will go ahead.
"In the meantime council officers will visit the tenant to see what can be undertaken to reduce the dampness in her property."
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This article appeared in Clydebank Post 01 Aug 12
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