Almost a third of UK living in mouldy or damp homes, Warm This Winter campaign group says
Almost a third of people in the UK are living in mouldy or damp homes, according to new research by a campaign group.
A survey by Warm This Winter, a coalition of 50 charities, has found 29% of people experience mould frequently or occasionally.
That statistic includes an estimated 3.4 million people who are pregnant or have young children in the home.
Households in Cardiff, Plymouth and Manchester top the list as being the most likely to suffer.
The data also shows a geographic split, with cities in the west of the UK worst affected.
Warm This Winter’s survey found that 10% of households across the country generally experience mouldy living conditions frequently.
Read more:
Why renters are more vulnerable to interest rate rises than mortgage holders
The housing battle – which party will get Britain building?
Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, described the findings as “chilling”.
“[They] underline why we need further urgent action from the government to step in and help households stay warm this winter,” he said.
“Vulnerable households, including young families and expectant mothers, are struggling because of ministers’ failure to provide emergency financial assistance this winter and longer term failures to invest in the permanent solutions to fuel poverty, such as insulation and reform of energy pricing.”
Energy prices are set to rise in January, with the typical annual household bill going up from £1,834 to £1,928, a rise of £94 or 5%.
Mould, which is often caused by damp or cold, can produce spores and toxins which are harmful.
In 2020, two-year-old Awaab Ishak died from a respiratory condition caused by “extensive” mould in his home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. In 2022, 27-year-old Luke Brooks, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, died from acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by a type of mould.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Luke Brooks: ‘It began with a cough’
‘We’ve been sick every year’
Heather Leonard, 52, lives in temporary accommodation in Bartley Green, Birmingham, with her two sons aged 15 and 20, one of whom has severe autism.
She says her house is covered in mould and her and her sons all suffer with asthma.
“It’s been so bad,” she says. “Every year, during the wintertime, when you can’t keep your windows open 24 hours a day, the kids and I always end up getting chest infections.
“We’ve been sick every year, because we all three have asthma. We can feel the effect all year round. But during the wintertime it gets particularly difficult.”
Mould pictured in Heather Leonard’s home
Heather says she complained to her provider, Second City Housing, and that someone visited the property three months ago and painted over the mould.
However, she says it has since returned in other places and that she has now been handed a section 21 eviction notice.
Heather describes opening the windows in the property every day, even spraying the mould herself, but says she can’t afford to keep the heating on all the time.
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
She says her 15-year-old son, Jamie, has to share her bedroom now as his room was “so overcome with mould”.
“All of the walls and the carpet was so filled with it that all the furniture in there got covered with mould as well,” Heather says. “It had to be thrown away.”
Second City Housing says it has “diligently” sought to co-ordinate with Heather for necessary repairs but “unavailability and scheduling conflicts” have “presented challenges gaining timely access for essential repairs”.
The company also says that “Ms Leonard’s actions or omissions, including citing health and family challenges, have also contributed to the deterioration of the property’s condition”.
The housing provider says it has “actively worked to complete all necessary repairs”, and that the mould has worsened due to “the tenant’s activities” such as failing to report water leaks promptly, inadequate ventilation, and poor maintenance of damp areas.
A statement said: “We remain dedicated to resolving this matter promptly and collaboratively with Ms Leonard to ensure her living conditions meet necessary standards.
“We anticipate a swift resolution and trust that this information provides clarity on our efforts and challenges.”
Business
Claire’s to appoint administrators for UK and Ireland business – putting thousands of jobs at risk
The average two-year mortgage rate has fallen below 5% for the first time since the Liz Truss mini-budget.
The interest rate charged on a typical two-year fixed mortgage deal is now 4.99%, according to financial information company Moneyfacts.
It means there are more expensive and also cheaper two-year mortgage products on the market, but the average has fallen to a near three-year low.
Money blog: Bingo players ‘won’ share of £1.6m – then Gala took it back
Not since September 2022 has the average been at this level, before former prime minister Liz Truss announced her so-called mini-budget.
The programme of unfunded spending and tax cuts, done without the commentary of independent watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility, led to a steep rise in the cost of government borrowing and necessitated an intervention by monetary regulator the Bank of England to prevent a collapse of pension funds.
It was also a key reason mortgage costs rose as high as they did – up to 6% for a typical two-year deal in the weeks after the mini-budget.
Why?
The mortgage borrowing rate dropped on Wednesday as the base interest rate – set by the Bank of England – was cut last week to 4%. The reduction made borrowing less expensive, as signs of a struggling economy were evident to the rate-setting central bankers and despite inflation forecast to rise further.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Bank of England cuts interest rate
It’s that expectation of elevated price rises that has stopped mortgage rates from falling further. The Bank had raised interest rates and has kept them comparatively high as inflation is anticipated to rise faster due to poor harvests and increased employer costs, making goods more expensive.
The group behind the figures, Moneyfacts, said “While the cost of borrowing is still well above the rock-bottom rates of the years immediately preceding that fiscal event, this milestone shows lenders are competing more aggressively for business.”
In turn, mortgage providers are reluctant to offer cheaper products.
A further cut to the base interest rate is expected before the end of 2025, according to London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) data. Traders currently bet the rate will be brought to 3.75% in December.
This expectation can influence what rates lenders offer.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike