'My mould-ridden council home has made my baby ill and means I'm separated from her'

Katie Roberts, who lives with her partner Ashley, their three children and her sister in Wednesbury, even has letters from doctors saying the mould is a 'significant risk' to the young children's health.

The 26-year-old, who cannot work due to suffering from PTSD, social anxiety disorder, autism and paranoid schizophrenia, says their living condition is 'disgusting'.

She said: "There are just too many people and too much furniture in the house that the air can't circulate and it's causing mould. In the summer, we can open the windows, but when it gets to winter, that isn't an option."

Her children, Hunter, aged three, Scarlett, aged two, and Willow, who is just 3 months old, have already developed health conditions as a result of the mould.

When Katie was pregnant with Willow, a letter from her GP addressed to the council read: "The mould issue is a significant risk factor to the health of her unborn child.

"It would be in Katie's and her unborn child's best interest for her to be relocated as soon as possible to a bigger property with four bedrooms and a garden."

But, Katie has accused the authority of 'not taking it seriously' and says that her three-month-old daughter, Willow, has been prescribed inhalers having developed a wheeze and a cough, and now has to live with her grandmother, Ashley's mum.

"Luckily, she only lives a short drive away," Katie added, "but now I'm separated from my baby, and we can't form the attachment between a baby and mother that is so important to them in their early life.

"This mould has made her that ill that she's at the doctors pretty much every week. The letters from the doctors even say that she needs to be moved to a safe environment."

Another reason for needing a bigger house, Katie said, is that Hunter has 'suspected autism', often having meltdowns, and requires his own space.

Katie continued: "The doctors are really concerned about my children. My boy has asthma now too and is also on inhalers. He has to have his own room, he cannot share anything, he has meltdowns.

"He needs his own calm space."

It's not just her children she is worried about. Because of her history of complex mental health issues, Katie is worried about the growing impact that her living situation has on her, and what might happen in the future if it is not sorted out. Both her and Ashley, 27, are considered disabled because of their poor mental health and cannot work.

She said: "I've had to be put on even more medication because of the stress of living like this. I'm scared of what will happen if I keep getting pushed and pushed. I will end up in hospital again and I can't, I have three kids.

"We need to be moved, it needs to be done. There is no space, the lack of air circulation is affecting my children's physical health and my mental health because I can see that my children are ill. It is so small and cramped, I'm up early hours in the morning just cleaning.

"It's so overcrowded it's not right.

"It's the waiting time that's the worst thing. I don't know how many letters it will take. They need to treat this like the emergency that it is."

Sandwell Council teams have been to the house to clean the house and will be speaking to the family about the issue.

Demand for council properties in the borough is greater than supply, leading to long wait times and discussions on other ways to find suitable accommodation.