A Portland mum-of-two says she has had to replace hundreds of pounds of her children’s belongings due to a mould problem.

Lauren Belcher, 28, says she has battled with a mould problem after moving into her two-bedroom Aster Housing flat at Verne Common Road, Portland, three years ago and says she has now 'had enough'.

“I’ve been at the property for three years in November, and you can tell they cleaned it before we moved in,” she said.

Soon after moving her possessions in, Lauren found that mould had started growing at a rapid rate, and found an infestation of silverfish - small pests that thrive in wet and mouldy environments.

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Lauren, a barmaid at Portland Social Club, said that with some effort, she managed to clear away the mould by washing it herself, but says that it has been a losing battle.

Lauren’s two daughters are one and two-years-old, and says she is concerned about the damage that it has done to them and that the mould has damaged items in her home and she has had to throw out some precious memories of her girls growing up.

“I’m worried about my girls breathing it in because they are only babies- and it’s just getting worse. I’ve had to throw away some of my clothes as well as clothes from my baby box of their first memories,” she said. 

“I’m just stressed constantly it’s affecting my mental health, and I know young babies get ill, but they seem constantly poorly," she added. 

Lauren said she has had to throw away prams, cots and beds that have been covered in mould.

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“I don’t want money for the items, I just want a nice house,” she added.

Aster Housing Group, Lauren's landlord, has been investigating the mould problem.

A representative on behalf of a solicitor engaged by Lauren surveyed the site and found multiple problems in the property including a leak in the bathroom, one in the children’s bedroom and another in Lauren’s bedroom where the water is said to go through to the floor.

Lauren was given £300 in compensation and told repairs would be completed by Tuesday, September 26.

Aster workers came in to do some maintenance work to Lauren’s roof and bathroom, but Lauren says they are yet to complete the works to both hers and her children’s bedroom and she claims the housing group has not been in contact with her in over a month.

A spokesperson for Aster Housing Group said: “We treat all reports of damp, mould, and condensation within our homes very seriously. There have been issues contributing to the mould within our customer’s home which we have been addressing.

"We have refurbished her bathroom and made repairs to the roof of the building.

“We will continue to work with the customer to identify and fix any outstanding issues, including conducting a mould clean which we are looking to book in promptly,” they added.