Boy, four, struggling to breathe and covered in sores from black mould in housing association home
- last year
Upsetting video footage shows a four-year-old boy struggling to breathe and riddled with sores which his others blames on black mould covering their hom
Demi Rock, 30, watches over her four-year-old son Kyden every night as he struggles to breathe and fears he may died because of their 'mouldy and damp flat.'
His asthma is made worse by the black mould he's allergic to which covers his family flat in Milton Keynes, Bucks, she says.
His tiny body is also covered in painful eczema which doctors say is caused by his poor living conditions.
Despite Demi pleading with the council to rehome her from her Grand Union housing association flat, she's so far had no luck.
She said: "I’m at my wits’ end and don’t know what to do.
"I am terrified he will die.
"There’s already been a young child that’s died through living in damp and mouldy conditions. What if my son is next?”
Two-year-old Awaab Ishak was killed in 2020 by mould which riddled his social housing flat, causing respiratory failure.
After the inquest into Awaab's death last November, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said the tragedy should never have happened and underlined the need to ensure every landlord provides decent accommodation for tenants.
Despite this, Demi has battled the mould problem in her two-bed flat which she shares with her nine-year-old daughter and Kyden since 2019.
Demi has lost count of the number of times Kyden, who also has Autism and is non-verbal, has been admitted to hospital struggling to breathe.
Blood tests confirmed that his allergy to the black mould is causing allergic reactions including itching skin, swollen eyes and becoming irritable, disrupting the four-year-old's sleep.
Demi, a stay-at-home mum, said: "He is living in an allergy. I'm having to take him to hospital about once a month because he struggles to breathe.
"You wouldn’t give someone with a peanut allergy a peanut butter sandwich so how is it acceptable to leave him in this house?"
The single mum, who is disabled herself, has complained to Grand Union repeatedly: “But when they come out to inspect they say there’s no mould.
"That’s because I’ve spent hours constantly scrubbing it away. I can’t risk Kyden breathing it in."
She has a 12-litre dehumidifier which she says fills up hourly, and places three moisture remover pots in each room which can last up to six weeks, but she says fill up in nine days.
She uses bleach and black mould remover on the walls, has her extractor fan on constantly and ventilates the property daily.
She keeps her heating on as much as she can given that the cost of living crisis has seen gas bills to soar, but two of her flat's radiators don't work and haven't yet been replaced.
Demi Rock, 30, watches over her four-year-old son Kyden every night as he struggles to breathe and fears he may died because of their 'mouldy and damp flat.'
His asthma is made worse by the black mould he's allergic to which covers his family flat in Milton Keynes, Bucks, she says.
His tiny body is also covered in painful eczema which doctors say is caused by his poor living conditions.
Despite Demi pleading with the council to rehome her from her Grand Union housing association flat, she's so far had no luck.
She said: "I’m at my wits’ end and don’t know what to do.
"I am terrified he will die.
"There’s already been a young child that’s died through living in damp and mouldy conditions. What if my son is next?”
Two-year-old Awaab Ishak was killed in 2020 by mould which riddled his social housing flat, causing respiratory failure.
After the inquest into Awaab's death last November, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said the tragedy should never have happened and underlined the need to ensure every landlord provides decent accommodation for tenants.
Despite this, Demi has battled the mould problem in her two-bed flat which she shares with her nine-year-old daughter and Kyden since 2019.
Demi has lost count of the number of times Kyden, who also has Autism and is non-verbal, has been admitted to hospital struggling to breathe.
Blood tests confirmed that his allergy to the black mould is causing allergic reactions including itching skin, swollen eyes and becoming irritable, disrupting the four-year-old's sleep.
Demi, a stay-at-home mum, said: "He is living in an allergy. I'm having to take him to hospital about once a month because he struggles to breathe.
"You wouldn’t give someone with a peanut allergy a peanut butter sandwich so how is it acceptable to leave him in this house?"
The single mum, who is disabled herself, has complained to Grand Union repeatedly: “But when they come out to inspect they say there’s no mould.
"That’s because I’ve spent hours constantly scrubbing it away. I can’t risk Kyden breathing it in."
She has a 12-litre dehumidifier which she says fills up hourly, and places three moisture remover pots in each room which can last up to six weeks, but she says fill up in nine days.
She uses bleach and black mould remover on the walls, has her extractor fan on constantly and ventilates the property daily.
She keeps her heating on as much as she can given that the cost of living crisis has seen gas bills to soar, but two of her flat's radiators don't work and haven't yet been replaced.