I live in mouldy and damp hell says arthritis suffering tenant

Sarah Shaw, 50, of Rede Avenue, says the condition of her home has slowly deteriorated in the two and a half years she has lived there.

Mrs Shaw, who struggles to walk because of severe arthritis and injuries caused by a road accident in 2006, has complained to landlord Regenda Homes that the damp has forced her to throw her carpet out because of the mould growing on it.

And she is angry because the erection of a fence by the housing group means she can no longer park her car on the drive, meaning she has to endure a painful walk to her front door.

Mrs Shaw, who is married to 26 year old Martin, moved to the Fleetwood address from Blackburn in August 2013.

She said: “The flat was alright at first but it has got steadily worse.

“The damp is just dripping off the walls.

“We have been in touch with then housing authority about the damp and even contacted Wyre Council’s environmental health.

“But they said the damp was just down to condensation. That’s not true, because there are vents in the wall.

“I want the housing association to sort it out properly by tackling the cause of the damp, but we just don’t seem to getting anywhere.

“I have also spoken to them about the fence, which is making my life a lot harder, but nothing has happened.”

A spokesman for Regenda Homes said: “We take all complaints seriously and have attended the property this week to carry out a full assessment. Our findings indicate the majority of the problems are being caused by condensation rather than any building defect. However, we will work with the residents to further investigate and resolve their complaint.

“We erected a small fence to prevent a vehicle being parked in the area at the front of the property. We have explained to the residents that, in order for this area to be used for parking, a dropped pavement would have to be created and permission given by the highways authority, Lancashire County Council.”