Young East Lothian mum's new home 'ruined' moments after she moved in with baby

An East Lothian mum claims she discovered black mould and crumbling walls in her council home.

Sophie Milne, 21, received the keys to her house in Haddington at the start of June after spending time in temporary accommodation. She says the experience has been "terrifying and exhausting" despite it set to be an "exciting" time for herself and her one-year-old daughter.

The 21-year-old explained how she viewed the property before she moved in, but she did not discover the mould until she started to strip down the wallpaper. She claims she has been left with no running water, making the home "completely inhabitable".

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The young mum has since been living with her dad as she suffers from breathing issues and worries for her child who doesn't have a strong immune system.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she said: "This was meant to be an exciting time for us both. We got the keys and we started stripping back the wallpaper. We then discovered the mould, the droopy ceiling, and the crumbling walls, it's been completely awful.

"The taps also aren’t even hooked up so we can’t have a drink or wash anything. It’s totally inhabitable. I have been signed off work because of the stress it’s causing me.

"I did visit the property before I got the keys and I saw that the walls needed re-plastered and they told me that it would be fixed by the time I moved in, but it obviously wasn’t. We discovered the mould because we started stripping back the walls ourselves.

"I was horrified, disgusted and couldn’t stop crying. It's been so frustrating for everyone".

Sophie raised her concerns with East Lothian Council and she says that someone has come out to treat the mould but she think it's just a "temporary fix for a long-term problem".

After Edinburgh Live got in touch with the council about Sophie's issues they said that some repairs require repeat visits to amend the problems.

The frustrated mum added: "I feel so let down and frustrated by all of it. I am trying to voice my concerns and they aren’t really listening to me.

"The council have sent someone out to treat the mould but it feels like a temporary fix for a long term problem, the mould is just going to come back. I can’t see past it, I don’t want to live there. I want a new home. It just ruined an exciting time for me".

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A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “We have a list of checks that are carried out before any council property is let. If a tenant subsequently discovers issues with their property particularly when undertaking preparation work for decoration, there is a procedure in place for reporting repairs to us.

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"Works are then prioritised according to our Repairs & Maintenance policy. Some repairs require repeat visits and involve different council teams and we will work with a tenant until repairs are complete.

"For more intrusive works we have procedures that allow for tenants to be placed in alternative accommodation if this is deemed necessary.”

If you're experiencing similar issues in your home, get in touch cara.blackhall@reachplc.com