Cellar is left to rot as mould takes hold

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Cellar is left to rot as mould takes hold

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31 March 2006

Clare Weir

London,England,UK

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A Belsize Park woman is in decidedly damp spirits because of

mushrooming mould problems in her flat.

Lawrence is demanding action from Camden Council after a four-

year battle over dry rot in her Howitt Road home.

Ms Lawrence, who has lived there for 35 years, first noticed a

problem in 2002 when brown spores and fungi appeared in her cellar.

She believes the problems started when a faulty pipe leaked water

into the wall of the building, which includes a house and two flats.

" I went down to the cellar and it was like brown snow had fallen, "

she said.

" There were spores over everything and mushrooms growing on the

walls and so I scraped one off the and put it in a deli pot and took

it to Camden Council, but the people there didn't seem too concerned.

" After that there was some sluice stuff put down between myself and

the neighbours, but that didn't help, and then the council sent

three tenders for damp-proofing.

" But when I applied for right-to-buy, work stopped, because if I did

buy I would have to pay for half the work.

" Now all up the side of my door is completely rotten and the hallway

is rotten and crunching underfoot.

" Last May the council sent a guy round to cover it up with lino.

Another man was sent to fill in holes with cement, but it isn't

enough. It needs to be fixed.

" You can still feel the crumbling and crunching beneath the lino

when you walk.

" This all started with a leaking pipe and it is only now I realise

that such a small thing could cause so much trouble. I can't believe

this has lasted four years. "

Ms Lawrence said the problems are taking a toll on her health.

" I am on sickness benefit and already have health problems and

breathing in all this stuff can't be good for me. My fear now is

that I will have to move out. "

A Camden Council spokesman said: " We appointed a contractor to do

the work in November 2004 but the contractor did not pass on the

instruction to its subcontractor.

" It's unclear why this happened and we are investigating. We are

very sorry for the inconvenience and we will try to put this right

as soon as possible.

" Officers are trying to contact the tenant in order to make an

urgent appointment. "

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