Swansea Mother's Desperate Battle Against Mould as Toddler Hospitalised
A Swansea mother has issued an urgent plea to local authorities after her two-year-old daughter was rushed to hospital with pneumonia, a situation she attributes to severe damp and mould problems in their council flat. Leah Davies, 27, has been fighting persistent issues in her Penlan home for years, but the situation has escalated dramatically, putting her three children's health at serious risk.
Years of Damp Issues Escalate into Health Crisis
Leah Davies first noticed damp problems when she moved into her two-bedroom flat seven years ago, but initially managed them with basic cleaning. Over the past year, however, the situation has deteriorated rapidly despite her constant efforts to control it. The mother of three described discovering thick mould underneath wallpaper in her children's bedroom, with the problem spreading to every wall, the ceiling, and around window sills.
"I went in there one day, I could smell this horrible smell and when I pulled all the wallpaper off I realised the full wall is damp," Leah explained. "I just changed two of their beds, which are three months old, and all the slats on the beds are full of mould. It's going onto their blankets and their mattresses."
Hospitalisation Sparks Heightened Concerns
The crisis reached a critical point in September when Leah's youngest daughter developed a soaring temperature of 41°C with a heart rate reaching 170bpm. Rushed to hospital, the toddler underwent chest x-rays and ultrasound scans that revealed shadows on her chest and a diagnosis of pneumonia. She remained hospitalised for a week while receiving treatment.
Although her daughter has since recovered from pneumonia, Leah reports she continues to suffer from persistent chest problems and colds that the mother directly attributes to their living conditions. "As soon as all the kids go into that bedroom to bed they're coughing constantly, it's getting to their chest. It's terrible," she said.
Freezing Conditions and Spiralling Costs
The family faces additional challenges beyond the mould infestation. Leah described how the flat becomes freezing within 15-20 minutes of switching off the heating, with temperatures sometimes dropping to just 3°C in her children's bedroom at night. Keeping the heating running constantly has dramatically increased her energy costs, creating financial strain alongside the health concerns.
"It's freezing cold in there, they're sleeping in three degrees sometimes at night," Leah revealed. "The council tell me I should get heaters and heated blankets but the kids have got hot water bottles and I've got my heating on."
Repeated Council Promises and Delayed Action
Leah claims that on three separate occasions, Swansea Council promised to visit her property to address the problems but failed to appear. The family hopes to be rehoused due to both the damp issues and overcrowding, as her three children aged two, three and seven currently share one bedroom.
"I've asked whether it's going to take my child to die for them to actually move me because that's what it feels like it's going to come to," Leah expressed with evident distress. "Mould and damp is serious and it's affecting my children's health."
Council Response and Ongoing Efforts
A spokesperson for Swansea Council stated that they have recently conducted an inspection and are working with the tenant to carry out repairs to address the mould issues. They confirmed plans to visit the property again this week and highlighted their dedicated team established to tackle damp and mould problems in council properties.
The council also noted they provide detailed advice for tenants through online council homes advice pages, offering practical guidance on dealing with condensation and mould. Additionally, they mentioned ongoing significant renovation of council homes in the Penlan area and continued investment in community housing.
Despite these assurances, Leah remains deeply concerned about the potential long-term effects on her children's wellbeing and feels helpless about what to do next. The situation has become so overwhelming that she admits reluctance to contact the council again, describing the entire experience as "depressing" and emotionally draining.
