Family-of-three in home with ‘rats in oven’ and mould told house is ‘safe’
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A healthcare worker and her two children are being forced to sleep in their living room due to overpowering mould in the bedroom – all while first mice, and then rats, appear throughout their home. But despite this.they have been told by their housing association that their house is “safe”.
Tanya Hall, 40, told the Mirror she fear she “will die” due to panic attacks and health complications as she tries to look after her two sons Themetrius, 22, and Haiden, 7 amidst the issues plaguing their home in Southall, West London.
The mum-of-two has been diagnosed with asthma, anxiety, depression and a lump she recently found in her breast, and suffers from constant panic attacks as she worries about her children’s safety.
The family are sleeping on blow-up beds in the living room as they try to follow medical advice telling them to stay out of their bedroom due to the mould. They are also struggling to cook, as they say their flat has been inundated with rodents and have found rats in the oven.
However, housing association A2Dominion says a pest control expert found minimal activity. Tanya has been told by the company there is “no need to move out”.
Paramedics who visited Tanya following breathing problems and a panic attack, told her to “keep out of the mouldy room” due to her breathing difficulties and to see a GP. They would not even go into the room themselves due to the strong smell, she added.
Tanya said: “The paramedics came and they said that there’s a strong smell of mould. They can’t see me in my bedroom. They asked me to come out and I came in the front room.”
The paramedics advised Tanya to go to hospital for further treatment but she felt unable to as there was no-one available or capable of looking after Haiden, who is autistic.
She said: “We cough every night in here. We don’t sleep every night. When I go to bed, my chest gets tight at night in that room. I can’t breathe. We’re choking because of the mould.”
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She added: “No matter how much you wipe, the smell of it stays in there. It’s in my bed, in my chest of drawers. It’s everywhere.”
The rodents in the house are only making things worse. Tanya explained: “I get panic attacks a lot because of this house. I’m thinking about the safety of my children. I don’t sleep. I’m catching rats
“That’s what stopped me from cooking for a few days because I’m scared. [The rats] live in my walls every single night.
“When I see the rat droppings I don’t eat in the house. I have to order takeaways.”
A pest control company has been called out by landlords, while Tanya has caught a rat herself and has found droppings as well as the family’s food being nibbled by the rodents.
The family is having to sleep in the living room, which she has to pump up “every night”.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called on 27 January 2023 at 12:44am to reports of a person unwell.
“We sent an ambulance crew who assessed a woman at the scene and advised taking her to hospital for further investigations.
“The patient declined and so the crew gave advice including calling 999 or 111 should her condition deteriorate.”
Dawn Wightman, Director of Homes and Communities, at A2Dominion, said: “We would like to apologise to Ms Hall for the problems she has experienced in her property. We take all reports of damp and mould very seriously.
“A specialist inspection has been conducted and repair works are ongoing. Extensive proofing has also taken place at the property and a pest control expert found minimal pest activity.
“Our team spoke with Ms Hall on Tuesday 21 March and told her that further investigation works will take place on Thursday 6 April. We’ve informed Ms Hall that there is no need for her to move out of the property and we have not advised her to sleep in the front room.”
Ms Wightman added that the property is “safe” and they will remain in contact with Tanya.