Damp infestation thanks to ill fitting windows and doors
A local woman said both she and her son have to use inhalers for asthma because of the mould and damp in their home as a result of ill fitting windows in her home.
Anita Collins from Laurence Drive said she has been waiting for 12 years to have new windows and doors fitted as the council has told her they simply don’t have the funding to repair or replace the dodgy fittings.
‘We’ve been living here for the past 14 years and we’ve been complaining for a good 12 years about the condition of the window frames and the doors,’ Anita told the Drogheda Independent.
‘At the front door there’s a gap you can actually see so the rain gets in all the time. The rain has actually lifted my flooring. The seals on all the windows are gone, every single one. We call the window in the kitchen the fish tank because everytime it rains it fills up with water.’
She said the second window in the kitchen is screwed closed because the frame is broken and it drops when you open it.
Anita said the council have come to look at the problem and have even measured for new windows but on each occasion nothing has come of it.
‘ The reason they give every time is funding. If they do get the funding it seems to be a lottery. Out of 101 houses where we are only three have been repaired.
‘We’ve got mould growing in my daughter’s room. The frame on her window is destroyed. We have to put towels on the window to keep the draught out,’ said Anita.
‘Sometimes it’s warmer outside than inside, it would cut through you in the hall and landing. You can get cardboard through every window frame in the house. There’s condensation on every window.’
The mother of two went on to say the family are wasting huge amounts of money on gas trying to keep the house warm.
‘We had to borrow money to get a stove put in last week,’ she said. ‘We’re at a gable end and there’s a field behind us so the wind is blowing through the house because we’re that far back in the estate.’
She said the frames on the windows are now starting to rot and revealed a locksmith had visited about six weeks ago and put silicone around the window frame in an attempt to block some of the draught.
‘He said that should work, it didn’t.
‘We pay our rent on time, we’ve always looked after the house. We can’t understand why we’re being ignored,’ said Anita. ‘ They’ve sent people out numerous times to measure for new windows but then nothing happens. Myself and my son are on inhalers for asthma and I think it could be related to the damp in the house as a result of the problems with the windows and doors. It’s only going to get worse until something is done. I don’t care about the other stuff but it’s the health implications that really worry me.
‘I’m afraid my daughter is going to end up with health problems too. We’d often be sitting in the sitting room and the door would be rattling because the draught from the front door is so bad.’
Local Councillor Frank Godfrey visited the house and described the situation as ‘a very sad case’.
‘Her children have grown up with dampness, with cold in the house,’ he said. ‘If the council are taking rent from this family then they have an obligation to provide accommodation that is up to standard. This needs to be addressed.
When contacted by the Drogheda Independent a spokesperson for Louth County Council (LCC) said it was not their policy to comment on inidividual cases.