Mother's mouldy home speeded up death, say family

[Guest guest]

Mother's mouldy home speeded up death, say family

nlnews@...

19 November 2008

Hornsey and Crouch End Journal - London,England,UK

http://www.hornseyjournal.co.uk/content/haringey/hornseyjournal/news/

story.aspx?

brand=HCEJOnline & category=news & tBrand=northlondon24 & tCategory=newshce

j & itemid=WeED19%20Nov%202008%2015%3A39%3A44%3A473

DAUGHTER under the collapsed damp ceiling at her

mother's home

THE stress of fighting for repairs to her damp, mouldy home

accelerated the death of a disabled widow suffering from cancer, her

family claims.

ine , 64, had lived in Crouch End for 35 years and brought

her family up in the home.

But the two-storey maisonette in Ferme Park Road was so

riddled with damp that mushrooms were growing from rotting door

frames and paint was peeling off

the walls.

Despite Mrs badgering housing association L & Q for months over

repairs - with the

help of her friend Caroline Sloane and daughter and carer , 30 -

they say less than the bare minimum was done.

Mrs died at the beginning of the month, just days after

returning to her home from a spell in hospital and despite her

family's worries she would catch an infection from mould spores.

Mrs Sloane, of nearby Shanklin Road, said: " We want to make people

aware of the conditions she was living in. I know myself - that is

what killed ine. It was the stress of dealing with the house. "

Before Mrs 's death, she said: " The damp is a health hazard;

it is dangerous. I have seen her go downhill.

" For them to be taking rent the state the place is in is

unbelievable. "

When the Journal visited, the place stank of damp and a neighbour's

leaking water tank had caused the basement hall ceiling to collapse.

, of Chettle Court, said they had been constantly fobbed

off by L & Q with promises of call-backs and work to the three-bed

home that did not materialise.

She said: " My mum had a stroke in 1997 and since then we have told

them that the house is too big for her. She can't afford to pay

people to come round and clean. "

A spokesman for L & Q said: " Staff at L & Q were extremely saddened to

learn of Mrs 's death following her illness.

" We had already undertaken some repairs work to the outside of the

property. When we heard of Mrs 's passing, we put the

remainder of the works on hold in line with her family's wishes. We

have now arranged with them for these outstanding works to be

completed. "

He said a contractor was sent out to make the collapsed ceiling

safe, and a surveyor later found a problem with the neighbour's

water tank, which has been fixed.