‘We just want a safe home but we are trapped here’
A FAMILY is “trapped” in a damp and mold-riddled home which is making them sick due to “faulty” cavity-wall insulation.
Marketed as a product which could save them up to 30% on their utility bills, they claim the wool-based product put into their walls has now become saturated with water.
Damp has penetrated every room in their Aberkenfig home and mold is growing rapidly, making it impossible for their fiveyear-old son to sleep in his own bedroom.
Now security guard Gavin Ward, 38, and his wife are seeking compensation to pay for the removal of the insulation and for extensive redecoration, including a new kitchen as their current units have been damaged beyond repair.
Gavin claimed his son has suffered repeatedly from ear infections and both he and his wife have had chest problems, which their GP has attributed to living in a damp home.
He said they had the cavity wall insulation fitted in 2011 and, as he was out of work at the time, he only had to pay a nominal sum.
But Gavin said last year the damp problem became so bad the electric cut out.
He said their son has been unable to sleep in his bedroom since Christmas and they can’t even hang pictures on the walls any more as the damp is ruining them.
“We feel really guilty that we have put our son at risk,” said Gavin.
“At first we thought our damp course had failed. We just want a safe home, but we are trapped here as the property is now unmortgagable and we can’t sell.”
Richard Butler, from UK Carbon Care, who is helping the family pursue a claim against the installation company, claimed the wool-based product put into the walls was inappropriate for use in South Wales due to the prevailing wind and rain and it has become saturated with water.
A spokesman for installation company Miller Pattison said they were unable to comment as a claim is being pursued.
But a spokeswoman for CIGA (Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency) said: “Cavity wall insulation is trusted by millions of people across Britain and helps to keep homes warm and utility bills down.
“If cavity wall insulation is correctly fitted households should not experi- ence any problems.
“Families who use accredited fitters, working with quality materials and assessing local conditions, will continue to benefit from these products.
“On the rare occasions things do go wrong, CIGA is there to step in.
“CIGA is an independent, not-for-profit body that provides 25-year guarantees for cavity wall insulation fitted by registered installers.
“If a consumer’s claim is covered under the terms of a CIGA Guarantee, then either CIGA or the installer will arrange for the necessary works to be completed, at no cost to the homeowner.
“CIGA cannot comment on this specific case as we do not have the background information and are not currently aware of any claim made by Mr Ward to CIGA under the guarantee.
“We urge Mr Ward to contact CIGA so we can advise next steps and help arrange for any problems to be rectified.”