Rats, damp and overcrowding...
A MUM-OF-FOUR whose cramped home has been plagued by rodents, damp and mould has pleaded for help to give her children a ‘healthy and happy’ house to grow up in.
Kellie Sullivan says her two-bedroom house, in Bute Avenue, Oldham, has been littered with issues.
On top of the cramped conditions, which means she struggles to even find enough space for everyone to sleep, she has also been battling a huge mould problem after several leaks caused chronic damp.
First Choice Homes, who manage the property, have apologised for the ongoing issues and have pledged to resolve them – alongside assisting her in getting a new home as soon as they can. But Kellie, whose fifth child is due in just a few weeks, says she has reached her wit’s end.
She said: “I’m just at the end of my tether now. It’s so overcrowded, we’ve only got one storage space so I’ve got nowhere to put anything, we’ve been living out of bags for four years. It’s chaos 24/7.
“I’m 34 weeks pregnant and they want to induce me in a few weeks which is going to make our living situation even harder.
“I’m spending £60 a month on cleaning products but it’s just disgusting – no matter how much I clean
it just doesn’t help, it’s diabolical. I don’t know what else to do – nothing I can do will make it any better.”
Kellie has had to throw out pieces of furniture, clothes, and even carpets that have been ruined by the damp.
With rubbish in the area, Kellie also has to deal with rats in her garden and mice inside her home.
Kellie says she worries most about how the problems are impacting her children – especially her eldest son
Carter, five, who is autistic.
She added: “I have sensory equipment for Carter but I can’t set it up because there’s no room. He has to share a room with his two brothers so he doesn’t get his own space, which makes things really difficult.”
Kellie has now bid on more than 30 nearby houses but has been turned down for all of them.
She doesn’t want to move too far away so she can keep Carter in the same school, as moving to a new home and a new school could be overwhelming for him.
Emma Davison, executive director for customer first at First Choice Homes Oldham, said they were working hard to provide a suitable
home for the family. “I really feel for Mrs Sullivan in what must be a difficult situation for her family living in a small home,” she said.
“She is in the top priority band on our and Oldham Council’s housing list for a four-bedroom home. Unfortunately we have a limited number of homes of this size available at the moment and sadly Mrs Sullivan was unsuccessful in the bids she has made.”
Ms Davison said appointments had been made for an inspector to look at the damp and for Oldham Council Pest Control to visit the property this week.
She added: “We can only apologise to Mrs Sullivan and her family.”
I WAS saddened to read in today’s M.E.N. (March 9) that part of Hough Hall has been demolished.
I understand that the building had to be made safe for the public, but surely a 500 year-old Grade ll listed building deserved some sort of support put in place rather than demolition?
What is the point of a Grade ll listing if it doesn’t provide protection! The owner should be traced and heavily fined for such gross neglect.
It seems that Manchester is destined to lose its historic buildings bit by bit to the greed of developers and neglect of Manchester Council.
Developers buy up these sites, get planning permission then just leave the site to the weather and vandals to destroy it bit by bit for them.
All the time the value of the land is increasing. It needs to stop!