A YOUNG family have spoken of their 'mould nightmare' which has infected their belongings and cost them dearly at a block of city centre flats.

Henry Keith, 23, lives on the first floor of The Conservatory, opposite Chesil Street multi-storey car park, with partner Kirstie Smart, 25, and daughter Millie-Ann, one.

Mr Keith, a refuse collector, has said that he would 'rather be in the bin lorry at work, as at least it’s warm and dry.'

READ MORE: Family forced to throw belongings away after mould problem in Winchester city centre flat

They are the second family to report similar long-standing mould problems to the Hampshire Chronicle in the past month.

Hampshire Chronicle: The Conservatory and some of the mould inset The Conservatory and some of the mould inset

Mr Keith said that since moving in, the housing association, A2Dominion, has been out twice to mould wash and paint. However, it blamed washing and ventilation and told them to air the flat.

This has caused his daughter to develop a cough and they have been forced to throw out clothes, furniture such and baby products as a result of the mould.

They have bought a tumble dryer to combat the washing drying problem but this has had no impact. They keep all their furniture away from the walls but that has left them cramped.

Mr Keith said: “We are stuck. We moved in when we had a tiny baby in October 2020. She has suffered with a lot of coughs and colds, we know that children get these things, but it is so cold and damp in our flat, we can never get warm, so we don’t know whether it is to do with our living conditions.

Hampshire Chronicle:

“We have had mould growing under our wallpaper, when A2 came out they tried to penalise us for wallpapering.

“Two people from the council have been out, they blamed washing drying inside and told us to buy an airer. They said it was our fault and that we have to get on with it. They say our furniture is too close to the walls and that we have things hanging. It’s every excuse to blame us."

Mr Keith said he felt the problem was part of a wider problem with the fabric of the building.

He said: “The mould is ruining our lives, it is marking our clothes and furniture. We have had to replace wardrobes and chests of drawers, all money that comes down to us.

“It has caused us to live in substandard cramped conditions. That’s why we are angry to hear that it is in other flats.

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“I have had to throw out things that were given to my daughter as gifts, that’s heart-breaking. It is horrible and disgusting that it has got to the point that we would rather be out than in our own home.

“I would rather be in the bin lorry at work, as at least it’s warm and dry."

Mr Keith's neighbour Chantel Pardon and her family previously reported problems of mould at The Conservatory. She said that A2 had not apologised directly for the problems and that they are next due to come out on May 27.

Hampshire Chronicle: The walls are damp The walls are damp

Dawn Wightman, director of housing at A2Dominion, said: “We understand this has been upsetting for Mr Keith and Ms Smart and we are sorry this issue is taking time to put right. The health and safety of our customers remains our number one priority.

“We have carried out extensive maintenance work to improve the entire block, including replacing all the windows and repairing the roof.

“Follow up inspections were carried out in March and no traces of mould or damp were reported. Additional advice was also provided to residents on how to reduce the risk of condensation.

“We remain in contact with Mr Keith and Ms Smart and have arranged to carry out another visit to the flat.

“Further improvement work is being planned for the entire block.”

Message from the editor Kimberley Barber

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