A desperate mum battling to have severe damp fixed in her home for FIVE years says enough is enough – after her children were rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties.
Care worker Laura Crozier, from The Murray, told the East Kilbride News how her son Liam,7, and his three-year-old brother Lucas have been taken to University Hospital Hairmyres several times in the last year and she now lives in fear of more serious attacks.
The 29-year-old, who had a cancerous tumour removed from her bladder just last year, bought her ground-floor flat – a former council property – in 2013.
As an owner-occupier, she pays South Lanarkshire Council factoring fees and first had issues the winter after she moved in.
But despite numerous attempts to resolve the water ingress in her living room by the council and other external tradesmen, she is no further on.
Frustrated Laura said: “I don’t know where to turn next.
“I have spoken to councillors, my MSP, had inspectors, independent surveyors and architects out, contacted an ombudsman and each time I am told that the problem is fixed, but I soon find out anytime there is bad weather it’s not.”
She went on: “My boys both have asthma, as do I, although nowhere near has bad.
“They have had bronchitis and chest infection after chest infection and have both been blue-lighted to hospital because they couldn’t breath properly.
“The doctors can’t say conclusively that it’s the damp in the flat that is the trigger, but it must be affecting them.
“The most important thing to me is their health and I am terrified that they are just going to get worse and worse.”
Repair jobs have been carried out internally on the sealant around Laura’s UPVC window as well as externally on panelling and the rendering of the block, but nothing has worked.
“I must have paid out thousands over the last five years to try and get this sorted,” she continued.
“But clearly the job’s not being done right which is so frustrating as I have always paid my factoring fees to the council and home insurance.
“And every time work is carried out to the building all the owner-occupiers get hit with a bill although, all my neighbours say I am the only one with the issue with water getting in.” Laura added: “I have tried everything, dehumidifiers, turning the heating up – but the damp is still there as water keeps getting in.
“I even threatened to stop paying my factoring fees to the council until this is resolved, but was told that I would be taken to court if I did that.
“I just want this fixed properly once and for all so my children and I and the rest of the family can get on with our lives without the constant stress and worry.”
East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani said: “I understand recent work undertaken by South Lanarkshire Council has not fixed this long-standing and unfortunate problem.
“After contacting the council last week, it was agreed that scaffolding would go up again as a matter of urgency to determine what further works are required.
“I know how difficult this must be for the family and I hope this will put an end to the issue once and for all.”
Daniel Lowe, executive director of housing and technical resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “The council is aware of further water penetration issues within this block and scaffolding has already been scheduled to be erected tomorrow (March 19) to fully assess the nature of the problem prior to arranging any works needed.
“Should it be practical, these works will be carried out whilst the scaffolding is in place.”
