A pensioner who lives in a mould infested council flat is demanding action from the council, after he claims he found his “neighbour’s poo in his bath”.
Alan Matthews, 76, has lived in his Stoke-on-Trent flat for a decade, however issues first arose three years ago when he noticed black mould growing on the walls.
He pinpoints the problems as starting when his neighbour in the flat above him installed a wet room, which then leaked.
The problem became so awful that he claims his neighbour’s poo ended up his own bath due to the leaks.
He believes the mould grew because of his upstairs neighbours' wet room leaking
StokeOnTrentLive
The veteran is in a spat with the city council and is currently waiting on the outcome of insurance claims.
Matthews said: “Black mould grew and the council sent someone out, knocked it back to brick, and then re-plastered. I had to repaint everything myself. In 2022, another leak happened - this time more severe - to the point where my carpet was damaged.
“I put a claim into the council's insurance company for £800 to replace my carpet, but I never heard anything back again. The council came out and supposedly fixed the problem again by knocking the walls back to brick and re-plastering. A family member ended up buying a new carpet for me because I hadn't heard back from the insurance. It cost them £600.”
Matthews described that after a three-month trip away to visit his terminally ill brothers in Australia, a friend who was keeping an eye on the property for him visited the flat to discover it flooded.
NEIGHBOURLY SPATS:
Mould and mushrooms grew on the walls
StokeOnTrentLive
He suspects this was due to his neighbour’s wet room leaking again.
“This water could have been there for up to 10 days because that was the length of time between my friend's visits to my house. My friends removed my damaged sofa, carpets and curtains along with other furnishings and put them outside my flat.
"A family member took my undamaged personal belongings and they still remain in storage now. Workmen supposedly knocked the sodden plaster back to brick and did the same again as they had done twice already before."
Upon returning to the UK, he filed both a complaint and an insurance claim to the council.
He was placed in a hotel for a week whilst the council tried to deal with the damp.
Matthews then had to return to Australia as one of his brothers passed away. Tragically, whilst he was there, his other brother also died, extending his stay even further.
The 76-year-old said he informed the council that he would be away from his property for an extended period of time.
Upon returning to his Stoke-on-Trent flat, he was dismayed to discover an unwelcome gift from his neighbour’s toilet.
“My neighbour’s poo was in my bath because of the leaks, and I had to have a portapotty, which the council was coming and emptying every day. It was disgusting, and it was only taken away less than a month ago.”
Matthews has said the damp conditions have resulted in him developing a constant cough, despite not smoking for more than 30 years.
Matthews has said the damp conditions have resulted in him developing a constant cough
StokeOnTrentLive
“I’m living in my bedroom because the rest of my flat isn’t fit to live in. The council says it’s habitable because it has a bathroom, a kitchen and a bedroom, even though the lounge is growing mould, as is the bathroom and hallway, so I have to wipe the walls multiple times every day.
“It’s so difficult to get through to anyone. I don’t use the internet or smartphones and now I have to travel to Stoke to speak to a councillor."
A councillor in Stoke-on-Trent said: “We are aware of the issues Mr Matthews has had with his property and have been working closely with him since March 2023 to rectify them. The damage to Mr Matthews' home was caused by a leak from a neighbouring property. Since then, teams from Unitas have carried out extensive plastering, electrical and redecoration works at Persia Walk.
“While this work was being carried out, we were able to temporarily re-house Mr Matthews, ensuring he had a dry and safe place to stay. Mr Matthews has now returned to the property and a follow-up visit has been undertaken by our surveyor who has confirmed the property is in a good condition overall.
They continued: “We understand that Mr Matthews is proceeding with a claim for damages which is being processed by our insurance provider, Zurich. We have now contacted Zurich and requested that the tenant's claim is looked at urgently.
“As Stoke-on-Trent's biggest social landlord, we have a responsibility to ensure all of our homes are safe and well maintained. We have recently updated a number of housing policies to ensure our services remain fit-for-purpose and our work continues.
"We are currently developing a new policy to specifically address problems associated with damp and mould to ensure all residents have safe, warm and comfortable homes to live in.”
