Amesbury mother worried for son's life as mould grows in new house

Xenia Limbu, 50, moved into her house at Hancock Drive, Amesbury, which is part of the Archer's Gate development in August 2022.

Since then, the mother-of-two has been "begging" developer Bloor Homes to fix a mould infestation inside her loft and said her children's health is "on the block".

Xenia Limbu (Image: Salisbury Journal)

Xenia first noticed an unusual amount of condensation building up on each of her windows in November and reported it to customer care in January.

Bloor Homes said this was due to poor ventilation and sent a technician to install six more vents in the roof, but Xenia said this has just made the house cold and has not fixed the problem.

Her nine-year-old son Jacob suffers from a list of health problems, including a disease which means only half of his heart works and he has obstructive sleep apnoea.

She claimed Jacob has developed a "strong cold that never goes away" despite antibiotic treatment shortly before the mould was discovered.

Poorly laid loft insulation has become sodden and dripping, causing mould to grow.

Mould has spread throughout the loft (Image: Salisbury Journal)

Xenia told the Journal she felt as though no one was hearing her voice, adding: "My loft is blanketed with black mould after only months of moving in.

"I have been begging them to rectify the problem because any slight changes in the atmosphere will be detrimental to my son's health and cause him to contract a respiratory infection, which could become life-threatening."

The family decided to move into a new-build house in an attempt to avoid the "headache of buying an old one" but said they have encountered "problem after problem".

Suffering from depression, Xenia said she has had to increase her medication due to the increased stress from dealing with the complications.

"We already have all these health issues with Jacob and have this house on top of that. It's very hard to digest," she added.

Mould inside the attic. (Image: Xenia Limbu)

Xenia said that she and her husband Tul partly blame themselves for the problems, admitting they "made a lot of mistakes" when researching and didn't know about snagging checks.

A Bloor Homes spokesperson said all the condensation issues in the roof space were related to ventilation but claims they have "now been addressed".

They added: "The issue of wet insulation is agreed and is being dealt with as a gesture of goodwill, to ensure complete satisfaction. The works will take place as soon as access is provided to us.

“Within new build properties of this nature, we encourage and continue to stress the need for airflow during times of severe temperatures. Any issues regarding the suggestion of mould were addressed by us as a matter of urgency."

Xenia Limbu's roof. (Image: Salisbury Journal)

Xenia said her roof's exterior looks "unfinished" but the spokesperson said Bloor Homes is "satisfied the roof is constructed to drawing and any suggestion that it is incomplete is unjustified".

"The picture we have been shown, which does not present the roof from the best angle, shows what is called a ‘flying hip’. At junctions on the roof such as this, the flying hip is bedded with a pre-mix dark mortar, which means they appear raised, but in fact are done this way for longevity and weathering," the spokesperson added.

Plans for the house are available to view in the sales office but copies are not supplied to customers "as a matter of copyright", which is "standard practice" according to Bloor Homes.