A BRYDEKIRK mum continues to fear for her and daughter’s health as damp like problems persist in her home.
Joanne McEwan, mum to 11-year-old Amy, first contacted the Annandale Observer in January 2021 after she discovered what she believes to be damp in her kitchen.
Joanne – who alongside her daughter suffers from asthma – reported it to her landlords, Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP), and after an inspection they said the house needed a new front and back door.
But since then Joanne – who lost her husband Tom to terminal cancer in February 2020 – has said she feels DGHP has “forgotten” about them and she shared her anxiety and stress that the situation is only getting worse.
She said: “It’s absolutely broken me and I have no idea what to do. Amy is now on two different inhalers because of the damp.
“DGHP aren’t doing anything, because they think it’s condensation. Amy is on her third lot of bedroom furniture because it keeps getting ruined and the damp has taken the wallpaper off the walls, as well as two layers of paint.
“Not one room in the house is liveable.”
After contacting her GP, Joanne is awaiting blood test results to see how the damp conditions have affected her physical health. She added:
“I’m so grateful to my GP, she has been one of the only people to believe me. I’ve now had five lots of blood taken to see how my health has been affected by it. I’ve been put on a steroid inhaler which I’ve to take eight times a day.”
In response, a spokesperson for DGHP said: “We’re doing everything we can to support the tenant and her family.
“We carried out a further inspection on 26 July which included the hallway and the porch. Our team checked the skirting boards, we’ve lifted the floors, examined the pipes and inspected the wall unit.
“The problems have been caused by condensation and not by a leak or by dampness.
“We’re working with the tenant to help her ventilate her home properly, including installing a new ventilation system to help avoid these issues happening again.
“Our team will visit the tenant again to check the areas she highlights and clean or paint them if necessary.”
