A MUM-OF-TWO has shared harrowing photographs of her baby son fighting for his life after their mouldy flat had the kids chewing on fungus-coated toys.
Emma Needham sent photos of her sick baby in hospital to Bolton at Home, who apparently had “nothing to say” for the mess they made.
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Emma first reported the mould problem when she was pregnant with Theo in April, but the problem was not resolved in time for his birth.
Now, the six-month-year-old is fighting for his life on a breathing tube.
Emma’s eldest son, Lincoln, two, had already been in and out of hospital with bronchitis.
When the cause was put down to mould, Emma said she did “anything and everything” to stay anywhere else but home.
At one point, she was cleaning the flat with her dad when they came across a box of Lincoln’s toys.
To their “horror”, the toys were caked in “green fluffy mould”.
Emma said: “He’d been playing with his toys and kids at this age they like to bite and put things in their mouth, he’d been chewing on the toys with the mould on them.”
She complained to Bolton at Home and said they advised her to use “white vinegar” to remove the mould.
A few months later, the mould had spread to the bathroom, but this time it was black.
She said: “Bolton at Home didn’t want to know, they just told me that I wasn’t the only person who was calling with a complaint and that I’d have to wait for anything to be done.
“They didn’t give me a time frame for the work even though I told them multiple times my children were in the property and were getting ill.”
Finally, an officer expected her home and she was told specialist treatment from an external company would take place.
Mould was found in Emma’s kitchen, bathroom, living room, the children’s bedrooms, and along the windows.
Emma and her two young boys were placed in a hotel, but on the seventh day, before the treatment was due to finish, they were told to go home.
She phoned her liaison officer from Bolton at Home, but “she wouldn’t pick up the phone, she’d disappeared”.
Emma continued: “I was left on the streets, in the pouring rain with my two children for over four hours. I sat in the park with my kids and broke down.”
When they returned home, the kitchen was still covered in black mould.
Emma rang Bolton at Home and told them “if anything happens to my children as a result of their mistakes, I won’t be responsible for my own actions”.
After visiting Bolton at Homes’ office with a friend and begging them for help, the family were put in a hotel for a second time where they stayed for five day.
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Four days after returning home, Theo’s health took a turn for the worst.
Emma recalled how her baby was “struggling to breathe” and “screaming” and was later admitted to Bolton Royal for five days.
She said: “He had tubes in and out of his nose.
“I had to leave my two-year-old son with his dad for five days, he didn’t understand why and it caused him separation anxiety.
“All he knew was that his baby brother was gone, he didn’t know why.”
Emma called Bolton at Home from hospital and sent them pictures of her sick baby.
She said: “They had nothing to say about it. Not an apology for the mess they had caused or the impact on my son’s life.”
Bolton at Home then agreed to fit vents in the house after the family left hospital but Emma said the flat was still a mess.
She said: “There was dust everywhere, Theo had a weakened immune system, he couldn’t breathe in dust, it was too unsafe.
“You could write your name in the dust on the windowsill, that’s how thick it was. The workmen had left the radio blasting and gone home.”
The workmen came back to install a second lot of vents but also left a huge crack in the bedroom wall.
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Emma said: “The sooner I’m out of this property, the better. I feel like I’m trapped, like I have to deal with this or I’ll be homeless.
“I just want a home that can be a safe space for me and my children – they need better than this, I’d live anywhere, but it’s their futures I’m worried about.”
She continued: “I hope and pray that other families don’t have to go through what I’ve been through. Bolton at Home needs to step up and take action.
“My little boy couldn’t have been here. I was begging when I was pregnant, enough is enough.”
Emma’s ordeal was bought up at Bolton’s Full Council meeting on Wednesday, November 27 by Councillor Bamforth.
The question was put to councillor Martin Donaghy, who described feeling “horrified at the way this woman and these children were treated.
A spokesperson for Bolton at Home said: “We take damp and mould seriously and have procedures in place to deal with issues quickly.
“When our customer first reported the mould to us, we arranged for it to be removed as a matter of urgency and also instructed a specialist surveyor to inspect the property.
“From this inspection we identified some remedial works that would help to lower humidity levels within the home that were contributing towards the issues.
“We temporarily moved our customer to a hotel while works were undertaken to install new ventilation measures, improve airflow, and treat any remaining mould.
“All of these works, including the removal of all mould, were completed before our customer moved back into the property.
“We have provided advice to our customer on ways of reducing humidity and improving ventilation within her home.
“We’ll continue to support our customer and her family through regular follow-up checks to prevent any mould from returning.”
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