'Stressed' mother says potentially deadly issues at Northampton council flat are making her 'mentally ill'

A mother of one is pleading for a Northampton council house provider to move her out of a flat which has ‘problems that could kill her’.

Chelsea Day is calling on Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH), West Northants Council’s housing provider, to move her out of her property as soon as possible.

The 25-year-old says her mental, physical and emotional health have deteriorated because of a water leak close to an electricity box, which led to the the discovery of asbestos and black mould on the walls.

Chelsea said: “The ceiling has collapsed through. My neighbour upstairs said his water tank is leaking. Where it’s leaking, the cupboard has my electric box in it. I thought, ‘electricity and water don’t go so I need to get some help from the council asap’. The guy I spoke to was absolutely diabolical and rude. I was told the water hasn’t hit the electric box. A worker then came out and said he couldn’t help me with the leak because of the asbestos he couldn’t touch it.

"NPH then came out on Tuesday and removed all the fallen through ceiling and got rid of as much as asbestos as they could. There’s black mould on the walls too.

"I’ve been really stressed out. I’ve been to council and said I cannot physically, mentally and emotionally stay in this property anymore, it is affecting my mental and physical health.

“The council is refusing to rehome me. I just don’t know what to do and I think it’s absolutely diabolical. The council can’t do this to people. At the end of the day, I’m living in a flat with asbestos. That can kill you. If it gets on your chest, in your lungs, it can kill.”

Chelsea said her health has been in decline ever since moving into the flat in November and is calling on NPH to mover her out as soon as possible.

She said: “I’ve been suffering with my chest. I’m a big girl but normally my chest is quite healthy. Since I’ve moved into this flat I have had four or five chest infections – I’ve just got over one about four or five weeks ago maybe. I’ve got to go for a chest x-ray now; it’s all down to this flat. My health since I moved here has been diabolical. I’m mentally ill from this property.”

A spokesperson for NPH said: “Following a report of damp received last week, our team has visited the property to investigate and make any urgent repairs. Any additional work that has been identified will be completed shortly. We do not believe that the property contains any asbestos, however we’ll be completing additional checks to reassure the tenant.”

A spokesperson for West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) said: "We understand that a full inspection was carried out by our Housing Provider Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) last week and repair work is underway, however the property remains in a safe and liveable condition.

“West Northamptonshire Council offered the tenant alternative temporary accommodation whilst the property was being assessed, however this offer was not accepted. We will continue to work with the tenant to reassure her about any concerns she might have."