A CWMBRAN mother is pleading with her housing association to investigate her longstanding issues with mould and damp in her flat.

Donna James, 31, of Normands House, Coed Eva, lives in a property, with her 13-year-old son Joshua, owned by Torfaen’s Bron Afon.

She moved into the flat in 2006, first noticed the problems of damp and mould in 2008 and has called her housing association on multiple occasions to investigate, who have given her advice on cooking using saucepans and proper tumble dryer use.

“I’m hoping that Bron Afon will come along and take a closer look at the issues and where necessary, make the repairs,” said Ms James.

“I have reported this to Bron Afon and they have sent two inspectors down. Each time they have given me advice on using the tumble dryer and cooking with lids on saucepans as they believe it is condensation.”

Ms James claims that she has spoken with her residents in her complex, those who do not have tumble dryers, who have mentioned similar problems to her.

“The worst rooms for the mould and damp are the living room and my son’s bedroom,” she said.

“He was three when we moved him and he’s grown up with this problem for the past eight years.”

She believes that the problems in her flat originate from holes in her balcony, and has seen water flowing inside the glass in her building, leading her to consider that the seals may need repair.

Ms James said: “The windows seem to be the problem, along with the holes in the balcony.

“One of the windows, which isn’t in my flat, has water running on the inside of the building when it rains and that shouldn’t be happening.

A spokesman from Bron Afon said: “We have booked in a few repair jobs including a new radiator but have been unable to get into her home to do them in Ms James’ case.

“If she can get in touch with us we will talk through this work. External Wall Insulation (EWI) helps tenants keep their homes warmer and save money.

He added: “It’s so important that tenants heat their home and ensure there is good ventilation especially when cooking or using a tumble drier. In this weather any problems can be made worse if a home is cold.”