A NEW father has been forced to live apart from his girlfriend and six-week-old son after suffering months of problems in their home in South Tyneside.
Ojay Parks, 18, says he was advised to keep baby Rylan out of the damp and mould at the flat in Dock Street, Tyne Dock, South Shields, by the family’s health visitor.
Mr Parks, who is also worried the mould will affect his own asthma, is now home alone after his partner, Toni Duke, also 18, and their son temporarily moved in with her mother.
He has been told a lack of ventilation may have caused the problems, but he is still waiting for action to be taken after four frustrating months.
He said: “It’s hard being away from my son, but there’s nothing I can do.
“I moved into the flat in July and we’ve been having these problems for about four months.
“We’ve been told the mould is due to no vents being put in the property. Inspectors have been round but nothing seems to get done.
“We were told to keep all the windows open, but I said we can’t do that in this weather because we have a baby.
“The health visitor has told us the baby shouldn’t stay in the flat with the way it is. I’m here alone, so if I have an asthma attack, there’ll be no one to help me.”
Mr Parks says the heavy covering of mould has spread all over the property and has caused significant damage to walls inside.
After facing a series of delays, Mr Parks is eager for repair work to be carried out, or for South Tyneside Homes to find him a new place to live, so he can get back to family life.
A South Tyneside Homes spokesman said: “We can understand the concerns that Mr Parks and his partner have with regards to mould growth in their home.
“We did carry out previous inspections but couldn’t do our follow-up work, as we were unable to gain access.
“We are now carrying out an anti-mould growth treatment after further contact from Mr Parks.
“We take this issue very seriously, and always encourage tenants to ventilate and heat their homes to help avoid future condensation problems.
“We are doing all we can to resolve the situation for Mr Parks and his partner, and advise them to contact us if they have any further problems.
“The first work was done on Friday, and South Tyneside Homes will be returning to the property today to do more.”
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