Mum's distress as Whitley home is plagued by mould

Samantha Richards 53, lives with her sons aged 21 and 12 at her terraced home in Whitley Wood.

She has lived in the house for 21 years but has faced ongoing problems with mould since 2021, which has become “too much to bear”.

Photos show walls and windows in her son’s bedrooms and other rooms badly affected by mould.

She has had to throw away clothing which has been destroyed by the mould as well.

Ms Richards, who has worked in retail for 28 years, has pleaded for the council to act.

She said: “There’s mould in my home, consistent disrepair and clumsy organisation.

“Reading Borough Council just keep on making excuses in order not to sort out the mould.

The family cat unimpressed with the bad case of mould at the home in Whitley Wood. Credit: Samantha Richards

“They’ve admitted there’s a problem, but they keep making different excuses to stop the repairs being continued.

“They have admitted liability, they should have started repairs.”

Mould in the home is having a serious impact on the health of her sons, who have both had chest infections.

She wants to remain in the area and is desperate for the council’s housing team to solve the issue.

Ms Richards said: “My youngest son has been admitted to hospital for breathing difficulties, shingles and suffers from depression, it’s just becoming too much.

Track suit trousers destroyed by mould at the home in Whitley Wood. Credit: Samantha Richards

“I have been here for 21 years, I love my area and where I live but it’s just getting too much to bear.

“My youngest said ‘I’m frightened to sleep in my room because it may kill me’.”

The mould is also bad enough in her eldest son’s bedroom that he uses the dining room to sleep in instead.

At one point, a water leak broke lights upstairs, leading Ms Richards to cut off the electricity, which she said was fixed.

However, Ms Richards claims that she was insulted by a worker in the process.

She said: “They came to fix that, but the worker said: ‘at least one repair has been done’ and that I should be grateful for that. How disgusting.”

READ MORE: Reading Borough Council's plan to tackle mould in homes 

Her complaint has been raised with the council. A spokesperson stated that staff from its housing team visited in the last week of March to conduct repairs Ms Richards has requested.

The spokesperson said: “The Council visited the property last week to undertake a number of repairs and ascertain the cause of the leak.

“We will continue to work with the tenant to ensure that all mould and damp issues are rectified as quickly as possible, and apologise for any issues and inconvenience caused.”