"We felt like the air in our homes was killing us... we were told we were 'breathing too much'"
13.01.2024 - 07:59
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Some claim they were told ‘too much breathing’ was the problem... others fear breathing could end up killing them.
Each lives in social housing around Rochdale, in estates managed by the same social landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), in whose property a toddler died.
Awaab Ishak was killed after exposure to damp and mould which his parents had repeatedly complained about.
Now, over a year after an inquest which outlined RBH's failings in the months before his death in 2020, other tenants of the housing association claim they fear that damp and mould could be slowly killing them.
A group this week met at the White Lion pub in the heart of the town to band together against their landlord.
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On Tuesday night, huddled around the pool table in the local pub, tenants swapped stories of a constant battle against mould, children left with breathing problems and the fight to get heard.
Responding to news of the meeting, RBH says its Damp and Mould Taskforce has been in place since December 2022 and that they are 'working hard to identify and resolve issues around damp, mould and condensation at the earliest opportunity'.
Tenants who attended the meeting claimed the problems have got worse since 2022. They claim it's difficult to get through to RBH to report the issues, spending ages on hold, and being 'fobbed off' with 'short-term' fixes for what they see as long-term problems.
They all said they had been told to use bleach, open their windows or put the heating on - leaving one tenant, Sean Doyle, asking 'if they are paying to heat their homes or the street'.
He lives with his partner Corrie Foster, on Gainsborough Drive,