FAMILY of a six-year-old boy on full-time Oxygen support is over the moon after a report by the Gazette put pressure on the housing association to immediately begin works to remove mould from their flat in South Ham.

The Gazette published yesterday (Sunday, February 6) the story of Elliot, who has severe lung conditions, living in a flat filled with mould in Pinkerton Road, South Ham.

His mum Marnie Greenland-Jones, 26, said her housing provider Sovereign Housing Association was taking forever to fix the problems, despite a number of requests explaining the condition of her son.

READ MORE: Boy on Oxygen support living in mould hell in South Ham

Following the report, the Sovereign Housing Association has been in contact with Marnie, and the works to remove mould has begun today (Monday, February 7).

“I have had several people from Sovereign come to my house today (Monday),” Marnie said.

“They began the works by washing with normal mould washer. They have not sealed the walls or done the other parts yet.

“The property manager, who spoke to us, is in contact with a private company to do a survey of the whole building and then they go from there. That’s the plan. So, all happy and all good.”

Marnie, who is a full-time carer for Elliot, had been trying to convince the housing provider to remove the mould, which even spread to the little boy’s medical supplies cupboard.

Although a mould specialist from Sovereign assessed the situation, the date given for works to begin was March 28.

The mum decided to contact the Gazette due to concerns for the health of her son, who already had to go through two medically induced comas because he caught a common cold.

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Luke Bingham, Housing Director for Sovereign, said: “Firstly I’d like to apologise, Marnie is right. After our initial visit on 24 January, we should’ve organised for work to start within ten days.

"In this instance, given that Elliot requires full time oxygen support and taking into account Marnie’s concerns about her partner’s health, we should also have carried out a mould treatment immediately. I’m pleased to say that we’ve been in touch and agreed that work can start today, February 7. We’re also investigating the cause of the problem in order to provide an effective long-term solution.”

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