Lambeth child 'disfigured' by decade of mould in council home

A South London mum says her son has been "disfigured" by a 10 year long damp and mould problem in their council house. Catherine Odigie claims her son Raphael, nine, suffers from itchy skin and swollen eyes and lips because of the problem.

Ms Odigie, 42, said she first complained to Lambeth Council about the issue, which she believes is caused by a leaking water tank in her block, in 2013.

But a decade on the bedroom walls and ceiling of her flat on the Mursell estate in Stockwell are still covered in black mould from the leak. 

Mould on the bathroom ceiling of Catherine Odigi's property. Credit: Catherine Odigi

The problem is so bad her son has to sleep downstairs to ease his symptoms, while teachers have warned her the problem is damaging his education. 

Mum-of-three Ms Odigie said: "All his skin has been disfigured because of the mould and damp problem. He is on full medication from the GP because they don't know what else to do for him.

"It's scratch, scratch, scratch. It's like sores all over his body and it's itchy.

Raphael suffers from skin problems that Catherine Odigi blames on mould in the property. Credit: Supplied by Catherine Odigi

"His eyes and lips are swollen and he has been sleeping downstairs for the last few years. His teacher said he was coming to school tired all the time. He can't have a good sleep because of the problem and it's affecting his education."

Ms Odigie said her mould and damp nightmare started two years after moving into the flat, while pregnant with Raphael.

The problem got so bad in her upstairs bedrooms that Ms Odigie had to sleep downstairs in the living room with her eldest daughter Audrey for most of the pregnancy, she claims. 

Lambeth Council eventually treated the problem but the mould and damp returned even worse in the following years because the leak remained unfixed, according to Ms Odigie. 

Catherine Odigi has been battling severe damp and mould in her Lambeth Council flat since 2013. Credit: Supplied by Catherine Odigi

In August 2021, she said an independent surveyor inspected the property and drew-up a list of the issues that needed fixing. But when workmen sent by the council arrived at the flfat three months later to sort out the problem, she was astonished to find they'd turned up with household mould spray to fix the issue. 

Ms Odigie said: "It was like something you could buy at the supermarket. I couldn't believe it. I could have done that. The problem is with the building. The mould is going to come back if you just wipe it and don't sort out the leak." 

A doctor recommended Ms Odigie and her family be moved to to a less mouldy property in an attempt to relieve Raphael's symptoms, in a 2020 letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. She hoped this would push Lambeth to move her family into a new house. 

Mursell estate in Stockwell. Credit: Robert Firth

But when the council got back to her, it allocated her Band D – the lowest priority for rehousing – and said she was only eligible for a one bedroom flat despite having three kids, according to Ms Odigie. When she appealed, Ms Odigie said the council moved her up the priority list by just one step to Band C2. 

Her dealings with the council have led Ms Odigie to worry that workers are making "deliberate mistakes" in retaliation for her complaining. 

She said: "My GP said that Lambeth hadn't even been in touch in December last year, even though I filed a medical assessment about Raphael with them. Lambeth now has an arbitration scheme for repairs but I don't trust it. How can we trust Lambeth and their own solicitors? Do people think we are fools or what?" Lambeth Council has been contacted.