'All we want is a decent house to live in' – Thurso dad battles council over mouldy house making his three-year-old ill
A Thurso dad with a three-year-old son has labelled Highland Council “uncaring” after he claims it failed to protect his home from damp mould.
Billy Gray, who lives at Henderson Court with his son Calvin and wife Hannah, has contacted the council on numerous occasions regarding the issue which stems from a faulty fire in his sitting room.
“We’ve been three years in this house and it was alright for a while but the fire wouldn’t work and it got worse and worse,” said Billy.
The main issue stems from the closed-in fire with back boiler which was emitting smoke into the room from the grills above the door. Billy shared a video showing the smoke clearly escaping from the fire and said that he even had fire services visit at one point. He has tried burning different fuels in it but noticed no difference.
“It was coming out all over and throughout the house. I spoke to the council and workers came out and threw smoke pellets into it and 10 minutes later they said everything was okay. They thought it might have been due to the weather but the smoke even comes out if there’s no wind at all.”
He said he followed all the procedures for setting and lighting the fire and even had it swept but to no avail. “The sweep said the chimney was fine,” he added.
“In November 2021, it was really cold outside and the whole room was filled with smoke. The wee one was obviously much younger then and I phoned the fire brigade to say the whole house was filling with smoke. They told us to get out and they came up with blue flashing lights.
“They scooped everything out the fire and chucked it in the garden and checked the chimney breast. They swept the chimney and said there was nothing wrong with it. A few months later we had a fire safety guy come out and recommend we fit alarms.”
Billy said he spoke to the council about fitting CO2 and smoke alarms but claims they never got back to him. He also says he spoke to the local authority about having the fire taken out but never received a reply.
“I need the fire sorted for the wee one and all the dampness gone with the winter coming on. Some of the radiators in the house don’t work at all. The walls are so damp that I don’t think you can paint over it.”
The family felt there was no choice but to stop using the fire but as a result, the house became overrun with masses of damp mould in every room that even permeated clothing. The fire runs a series of radiators in the house which became cold when it was not lit.
“We need it all sorted. Recently, Calvin has been getting ill all the time and getting colds. He’s coughing and he’s not well just now. His nose is choked and it’s becoming constant. My wife’s been out of breath as well.”
The 32-year-old works full-time as a baker and his wife is also in full-time employment as a care worker. “It can be a real struggle at times and I’m really unhappy about it as it’s been going on for too long.
“I feel the council doesn’t care and will just leave you in a cold house. I’ve tried everything myself to sort the problems and am at my wit’s end with it all.”
He cleaned all the black and green coloured mould from the walls but showed a pile of clothes that was affected. He has also ordered a dehumidifier to try and clear the dampness and uses small, expensive to run, electric heaters to warm the house.
“Sometimes we see the water dripping down the wall when it’s really cold. The plasterboard has turned to mush in some areas and your finger would probably go through it. All we want is a decent house to live in.”
Highland Council was contacted and provided the same pro forma response that the Caithness Courier received when investigating another damp house in Thurso earlier this year.
Its spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on individual tenant’s circumstances. However, we can confirm that Highland Council is committed to working with our tenants to ensure that reports of damp, mould or condensation are responded to as quickly as possible.
“Advice is offered to our tenants on heating and ventilation of their homes and remedial works will take place if identified at inspection.
“Where there are repeated complaints or the problem resurfaces, we will carry out follow-up inspections and works or will commission an independent survey to identify if there is anything further we can do.”