Black mould: Disabled and chronically ill Burnley grandma and Calico Homes tenant fears living with 'horrendous' damp could blight her health

The 64-year-old, who is sensitive to cold because of osteoarthritis, says she struggled to afford to keep her rented Calico home warm enough over winter due to damp issues in her hallway.

She urges landlords to take damp and mould problems more seriously after sleeping on a camp bed in her front room for a year - despite requiring a hip and kneecap replacement - while waiting for Calico to address the latter in both her bedroom and bathroom.

"I am absolutely fed up and have had enough. It is horrendous, what we are living in, and terrible for your mental health."

She adds that mould "ruined" most of her clothes and furniture, including a brand-new £600 wardrobe, and she had to rely on donations two years ago.

"The smell was horrific, and I wouldn't go into my bathroom."

The tenant claims she felt "fobbed off" whenever she reported the issue, with Calico taking more than 12 months to carry out a damp course.

"They kept saying it was my fault and put it down at first to condensation. I kept fighting that for ages until it kept getting worse. It was like banging my head against the wall: no one was listening. I had inspection after inspection and thought, 'I'm going around in circles.'

"It was too distressing to talk to Calico, so a CVS worker took over for me. It is why people are frightened of speaking out."

The grandma, who turned to Age UK to help cover her energy bills, now fears the health impact of another long wait for Calico to address the damp in her hallway.

"I get very cold inside my bones, and my body works twice as hard.

"Calico didn't seem to care that I was sitting in the cold with blankets.

"I'd think, 'I'm sitting here in poverty with £2 on the electricity. Why is this happening? Why am I putting up with this?'

"I was frightened of putting the heating on in case I ran out of electricity. It's too expensive."

The tenant says she is too ill to move house and has lived on her estate for nearly 40 years.

"I don't want to move because it's my community. [Calico] should keep on top of the property. I'm at my wit's end now with it all, but they take no notice."

Vicki Webb, Managing Director of Calico Homes, said the company is surveying homes to identify unreported work.

“Reports of damp and mould from customers are our priority, and we aim to complete work as quickly as possible.

"Once we have completed damp and mould-related works, we follow up with the customer to ensure the problem has been effectively resolved.

"All Calico Homes employees working directly with customers are receiving training, so they know how to identify issues and how to report them."

Asking tenants to contact Calico regarding any damp and mould issues, Vicki added: "Without any details about this customer, we cannot comment on this specific case. However, we recognise that damp and mould can seriously affect the health and well-being of families, and we are always looking to improve our processes and how we deal with damp and mould issues."