I feel filthy as disgusting black mould and fungus have invaded my home

Paula Richardson has been left relying on her friends’ homes to wash in after leaks in her bathroom left “fungus” growing up the walls of her property. For the past four years, the 59-year-old has lived in a single-bed flat in Aigburth provided by Torus housing.

Paula said she has been left feeling “dirty” and “filthy” after ongoing issues in her home that haven’t been resolved. This includes leaks from a property above cascading down her walls “like rain.”

She told the LDRS how the issue got so bad the housing provider even offered her an alternative place to live which never materialised. The ongoing issues at her Larkhill Close home have mean her festive plans have had to be cancelled.

Paula said: “There has been a leak from the flat above, I’ve called Torus and it’s never been fixed. Over time it’s got worse and worse, there’s fungus growing and they’ve never fixed the source of the problem.

“For the last three months, it’s been too dangerous for me to use. It’s horrendous.” Torus accepted its level of service has fallen below its standards in this case but said the leak has now been repaired.

Ms Richardson said she moved in to the property in 2020 and was given the ground floor, one-bedroom flat owing to her mobility issues. She now feels left in limbo as issues continue.

She added: “It looks like it’s not going to be sorted until next year now. When it started it just fell down the walls like rain. I was told it was fixed and okay but then fungus started to grow on the walls and black mould. When I had a shower, plaster would fall off the wall onto me, I feel like I’ve been lied to. It makes me feel filthy, dirty and I don’t want to go in there. I can’t use it.”

Paula explained the lengths she has gone to amid the leaks in her home, having reported the issue to Torus alongside other residents. She said: “I’ve done everything to the point of grovelling to them.

“The ceiling is wet when you touch it and bends whenever you put any sort of pressure on it. I am blessed to have this flat and the gardens but it’s my birthday in a couple of weeks, nothing major, but I’ve had to cancel plans.

“I wouldn’t dream of letting somebody use it. I’ve managed to use the kitchen to wash myself down and I have to go to my friends’ for a shower and to use their kitchen as well. It’s disgusting, it’s impacted my whole life. It’s putting me off my appetite too.”

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Margaret Goddard, group assets director at Torus, said: “I apologise to Ms Richardson for the level of service received which has fallen below our expected standards. The leak was reported to us just over a month ago and we repaired it last week.

“It came from the flat above Ms Richardson’s home so took us longer than usual to find and we also faced delays accessing that property to carry out the repair. We have not received any reports of spores but offered to carry out a precautionary anti-mould wash of the bathroom on two occasions but these were refused.

“Alternative accommodation was not offered because the works will be completed when we repair Ms Richardson’s bathroom ceiling next Wednesday (December 11).”

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