Parents desperate to leave home that made baby ill

Parents of a seven-month year-old say they “don’t feel safe” after claiming damp and mould in their home has caused breathing problems for their baby.

Matthew Brooks and Paige Deloughrey live with their six children in a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) social housing home on Mentmore Road.

They say they are desperate to leave over fears the condition of the home is threatening their children’s health.

RBH said the property had been treated to leave it “dry and a good standard”.

The family of eight were temporarily moved out of the two-bed home in the Firgrove area of Rochdale in January so the landlord could fix the damp and mould.

Mr Brooks praised RBH for its quick response to the situation but said the damp spots had returned since they moved back in.

“The air is heavy in the home (due to the high humidity caused by damp), we felt we couldn’t breathe the air around us,” he said.

Paige Deloughrey and Matthew Brooks say their baby has suffered breathing problems

The condition of the property had caused their seven-month-old baby Ellen-Rose to be taken to hospital with breathing problems, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The 30-year-old father said it was the child’s seventh hospital visit in her short life, adding a health visitor confirmed her issues were caused by damp and mould.

“This time, on this hospital trip, I was scared (we could lose her),” he said.

“They could put us in a five-bed mansion but that wouldn’t take away what they’ve done to us, it’s about my baby’s health at the end of the day.”

The Northern Care Alliance health visitor wrote to Rochdale Council to say the home was a “risk to the physical health of the children and the adults residing there.”

Siobhan McCoy, RBH Director of Property Services, said the property had since been fully treated, with new extractor fans and ventilation systems added.

“The home is dry and all works have been carried out to a good standard.”

Both parents said they were desperate to leave the two-bed home – which was cramped for a family of their size – with four young children staying in one room.

Ms McCoy said more than 500 families were waiting for a four-bedroom property, and only 14 had become available in “all the social housing providers in the borough combined” in the last year.

She said the “severe shortage” could only be tackled by increasing the amount of social housing in Rochdale.

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