Family's 'trauma' after eight years in mouldy London council flat blamed for childrens' nosebleeds and breathing problems

A family in Southwark has been living in horrific mouldy conditions for eight years leading to “trauma,” a mother-of-four has said.

Glory Uhunarabon, 45, from Bermondsey, who works as a dinner lady in a Southwark school, said the issue of mould in her flat is one which has persisted since 2015.

However, Southwark Council has failed to address the issue, she said, leaving her to feel “abandoned”.

Ms Uhunarabona has felt unable to cope with the constant return of damp and mould to her home.

She believes the conditions have resulted in breathing issues and coughing, along with nosebleeds. Three of her children, aged eight, 13 and 14 have been suffering from nosebleeds regularly.

Southwark Council has said it “apologises” for the distress caused.The reappearance of mould has had a knock on effect on school attendance and health. The concerns have in the past few years prompted doctors and her her youngest child’s primary school to write letters to the council about the mouldy conditions and their impact on Ms Uhunarabona's eight-year-old asthmatic daughter in particular.

But the council has still failed to resolve issues during this time, she noted.

She said: “I’ve been depressed and crying for my children and how this has affected them. I sometimes think that my son could have done better in his GCSEs...”“What we are going through, nobody else would have through this. Maybe it’s because of my English or because I’m a single mother. I just feel we’ve been abandoned.”

The family have regularly felt abandoned due to the conditions forcing them to move.

In 2020, they were housed in Bromley and in 2022 they moved to Wandsworth temporarily.

The family has been unable to escape the mould each time they have returned to the flat in Bermondsey.

“We would think the issue was solved but it was not,” Ms Uhunarabona said.A Southwark council spokesperson said: “These are unacceptable conditions for anyone to live in, and we apologise to Ms Uhunarabona and her family for how distressing it must have been for the mould to return for a second time when she went back to her property.

“There is clearly a specific issue with this property which our repairs teams will need to address to permanently resolve the mould and condensation. We will also look into all the matters Ms Uhunarabona has raised and speak to her about both her family’s housing situation and what has happened.”