Petworth family lost Christmas presents to mould infestation

37-year-old Sharon Streeter has lived in Park Rise, Petworth, for the past three years with her partner and two children, aged two and three.

Since moving in, the family has been plagued by a pervasive mould problem which has spread from room to room and affects walls, doors and even clothing.

Sharon has tried to claim money from Hyde Housing — the housing association responsible for the property — but to no avail.

When it was refused, Sharon, who suffers from anxiety and depression, said she 'completely broke down' and said her mental afflictions had become 'severe'.

Paul Dew, Hyde’s Interim Property Services Director said: “I’d like to apologise to Ms Streeter and to her family for any inconvenience and upset caused by damp issues in her home.

“We’ve been treating the damp since we first became aware of the problem in Ms Streeter’s home on September 28 2021. We visited her home on November 10, where we carried out investigative works.

"There was then a follow up visit on November 24, where we carried out works including installing a French drain to help resolve the damp issues. All these works were finally completed on December 3 2021.

Sharon added: "My depression and anxiety is really being affected by it. I had it under control but it is wearing thin."

"I can't live like this any longer. I've lost children's stuff and personal belongings and Christmas presents [to the mould]. We lost our Christmas tree because of it.

"I can't keep forking out — I don't have the money to do that. I'm not a millionaire."

Sharon said her three-year-old has also begun to suffer from serious chest infections which she believes is linked to the mould.

Mr Dew added: "A specialist wall insulation contractor attended in early December to inspect the cavity wall insulation of the block following our investigations, and they will be refilling any missing cavity wall insulation on January 14 2022.

“We received a further complaint from our customer on December 16 which is being dealt with in line with our complaints policy.

"We also received an enquiry for the local authority environmental case office on the December 17, which we were able to respond to immediately as we knew exactly what the issues were.

“A member of my team will contact Ms Streeter today, to find out if there are any further issues we can help with before our next appointment on 14 January.”