The young boy died from the effects of poisoning from mould in his home.
After a narrative conclusion was recorded at Rochdale coroner’s court, lawyers for Awaab’s parents read a statement in which they accused the social housing provider, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), of doing nothing over a number of years to treat the mould problem that killed their son.
“We cannot tell you how many health professionals we have cried in front of and Rochdale borough housing staff we have pleaded to expressing concern … We shouted out as loudly as we could,” they said.
They accused RBH of not caring and said they had no doubt they were treated that way “because we are not from this country and less aware of how the systems in the UK work.
For those who aren't aware, many of the so called housing associations were formed in the noughties by local authorities selling off their housing stock to the staff who originally were responsible for running the housing departments. Because of the rules for taking staff the various jobs had to be advertised. I had an interview for one job in Suffolk Coastal and it was obvious from the start that they were just going through the motions.
Those running these associations are in it for the profits I think and they are further candidates for control being handed back to the local authorities.
In any case, I've never opened windows as a habit in the morning and never had mould either.
I have trickle vents on my windows and my homes have always been well-built and adequately heated and insulated.
The reason mould becomes a real problem is because homes aren't properly protected.
Snap icanhandthemback.
tickingbird
^Good for you! Do you have children to get ready for school/nursery and have to make sure you leave home on time for work?^
That would stop someone being able to open a window would it?
It might mean that they forget to shut it and leave an open invitation for housebreakers. If you've been in that situation, I'm sure you remember how stressed the first hour of the morning is.
tickingbird
^Good for you! Do you have children to get ready for school/nursery and have to make sure you leave home on time for work?^
That would stop someone being able to open a window would it?
It might mean they can't close the window again if they are not home or if they live downstairs, they'd get burgled. Opening the window might not be problematic but the consequences might be!
Good for you! Do you have children to get ready for school/nursery and have to make sure you leave home on time for work?
That would stop someone being able to open a window would it?
Caleo
I open my window very wide when I get up in the morning and leave the bedclothes pulled back. After breakfast I tidy the bed and close the window.
Good for you! Do you have children to get ready for school/nursery and have to make sure you leave home on time for work? Do you live in a flat with ground floor windows? Or have a bathroom with no window at all?
nanna8
Sometimes mould is more or less permanent ,especially in older houses. We stayed in a hotel on Norfolk Island and it smelled strongly of mould and we were stuck there with Covid for a week. Both our symptoms were no doubt worsened by the air in there. Apparently most of the rooms were the same because of the climate. If a place isn’t built with sufficient ventilation you are going to get mould, it can happen very quickly. It is so sad that no one told this family of the dangers of not ventilating a living area and the fault lies with the owners / council for that but it is not a totally straightforward issue. Rarely is. I am sure it will happen again somewhere and probably the causes will not even be diagnosed.
There is a terrible mould problem in Brisbane after the floods, not just in houses that were flooded. The past damp winter hasn't helped either.
Now there are more floods in NSW.
I open my window very wide when I get up in the morning and leave the bedclothes pulled back. After breakfast I tidy the bed and close the window.
I was very remiss about not opening my windows in winter when it was very cold. A scientist friend put me straight over this during covid. They're now opened 1" daily.
Sometimes mould is more or less permanent ,especially in older houses. We stayed in a hotel on Norfolk Island and it smelled strongly of mould and we were stuck there with Covid for a week. Both our symptoms were no doubt worsened by the air in there. Apparently most of the rooms were the same because of the climate. If a place isn’t built with sufficient ventilation you are going to get mould, it can happen very quickly. It is so sad that no one told this family of the dangers of not ventilating a living area and the fault lies with the owners / council for that but it is not a totally straightforward issue. Rarely is. I am sure it will happen again somewhere and probably the causes will not even be diagnosed.
former employee speaking to and verified by sky news, says there was a total disregard for tenants at the HA.
he says it needs to be abolished and a new one take over. new personnel and attitudes and policies.
I think it was terribly sad what happened to that beautiful little boy and I’m glad the council leader has been sacked rather than left in place to ‘address the issues’ which would not have happened. But I also listened to their lawyers statement after the verdict where she said that they had been put into inadequate accommodation and their concerns not listened to etc because they were asylum seekers. Which is such an unfair statement because I know of loads of British people living in housing association housing in a city (not saying which) that is full of damp and in need of repairs that are not done. That sort of talk will just get all the lefties on their soap boxes again.
Out of the blue two weeks ago our HA rang to say they were coming to fit vents in the eaves to ensure that we didn’t suffer from mould. I do wonder if that was as a result of this case. We didn’t suffer from mould until they started investment work - ‘upgrading’ our windows to triple glazed that were so badly fitted the curtains blow in the wind, and trickle vents that haven’t been used in private installs for 40 years due to their inefficiency; removal of storage heaters which ensured heat most of the day; more insulation. Our house is ventilated and heated but has suffered from mould following these upgrades and the HA refused to listen to us about it.
I wonder - did inspections for social housing stop during the early part of the pandemic?
I do hope other tenants will now speak up to support this couple. (If it is warranted)
Surely this property had at least sporadic inspections done?
I'm not blaming the tenants, or what they did (or didn't) do. It was the HA/landlord's responsibility to ensure that the property was up to standard. I do understand how easily the situation could have developed, though.
So, nobody from any of the agencies could have ensured the couple understood properly what was explained?
Half an hour, then they could have monitored the situation at least, particularly if the fault laid with the couples.
Seems strange, because if I was that landlord my main priority would to stop further damage being done.
ShazzaKanazza, they blocked the airbricks below floor level too, to stop draughts. I've noticed, since then, a couple of local rented houses are the same. These older (1930s) places rely on plenty of ventilation to prevent damp and rotting timbers.
VioletSky Tue 15-Nov-22 22:36:33
'There is no way that amount of damp was caused by one family unless they left the shower on 24/7, never had a radiator on and never opened a door
That's ridiculous'
I agree.
Once it's got a hold, it just grows and grows if there is a structural fault.
If thy didn't use available ventilation when they were desperate and begging for help, that seems odd
VioletSky Tue 15-Nov-22 22:36:33
'There is no way that amount of damp was caused by one family unless they left the shower on 24/7, never had a radiator on and never opened a door
That's ridiculous'
No - I think it's quite possible - although they can't be blamed. My son's flat was rented out. He registered as a landlord, followed all the regulations and employed a rental management firm (in charge of maintenance and inspections) for 16% of the rent - and was living abroad. A chap went to complete the annual boiler service - and was horrified at the amount of black mould. The couple living there had a very young baby, so the heating engineer took the time and trouble to contact my son directly. The couple were from Africa, only recently in the UK, concerned about the cold - so had blocked all the ventilation and were drying clothes indoors. They simply didn't understand why air vents, a tumble drier - and continuous trickle ventilation was needed. Legally (due to Covid) inspections weren't mandatory and he couldn't evict them. He paid them (a lot) to move out - then forked out for all the cleaning and redecorating. It all happened in less than a year!
Mould and damp needs to be taken seriously
Hear hear.
The coroner ruled that little Awaab died due to a severe respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in the child’s home environment.
It’s possible - perhaps that the limitations imposed during the pandemic (such as having to use translation services via phones at the hospital, lockdown restrictions keeping children indoors, launderettes being closed, etc may have added to this developing tragedy, but the primary cause- was the deadly mould. Reports in the papers show the parents tried to get help for years to first treat the mould then try to get rehoused.
Mould and damp needs to be taken seriously.
Modern double glazed windows have trickle vents in the top to give some ventilation without the need to always open the window, but I guess it’s still possible to close them. We leave ours open.
We have rental properties and always leave a house in a condition that we would live in ourselves because we want people to enjoy our homes. This would never have happened in one of ours. I think the mould was on another scale to just needing venting and a window open and I’m not blaming the family of that little angel in any way. It’s heartbreaking nothing was done.
We have awful problems with people not opening their windows a touch because mould can’t really form in a well ventilated room unless there is a major leak somewhere.
I think we are going to have a lot of issues with mould this winter with people struggling to pay their fuel bills and keeping windows closed to keep warm.
We have a property a couple have just moved out of and he complained about mould around the windows. The agent did the leaving report and said but you need to open windows and he said but it’s cold. He is a doctor. Windows have been on vent now they have gone and the mould is dying. DH will be going in to redecorate. If a Dr can’t open a window when he knows the dangers of mould what can we do. Everyone gets a leaflet from us about the importance of ventilation.
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join the discussion, watch threads and lots more.
Register now »Already registered? Log in with:
Gransnet »Get our top conversations, latest advice, fantastic competitions, and more, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
