A mother is ‘terrified’ for her three-year-old daughter’s health after she discovered severe mould in their new home.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said she had complained three times to the housing association, but the problem had not been sorted.

She lives with her daughter, who has now developed a cough, in a block of flats in Littlemore in Oxford.

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The woman said: "I was moved from my previous property after fighting to get out because my daughter was affected with chest problems due to mould.

“I've been in a new build in Littlemore for a couple of months now and was just over the moon that I was able to get my daughter out of a toxic environment.

“I noticed a black patch coming up the wall by my front door and I contacted the housing association, Peabody, right away.

“I've put in three complaints about the mould and they're in no rush to come and look or get it sorted.

Oxford Mail: mould

“This mould is rapidly coming up the wall.

“I opened a little hatch by my door which gives you a restricted view of the pipes and what I discovered was horrifying.

“The whole wall is covered in mould, fury black patches and a severe stench.

“It's absolutely horrendous but, even more so, considering this is a new build and we're breathing this in.

“I feel hopeless and useless towards my three-year-old daughter.

“I'm meant to be protecting her and we've gone from one bad situation to another.

“I was so excited when we moved in. This was supposed to be a new start.”

The woman added that it was not just her property that had been affected by mould and that her next-door neighbour was experiencing similar problems.

Last year, an inquest found that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale.

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Doctors have found that people living with mould are more likely to suffer from respiratory illness, allergies or asthma.

The housing association, Peabody were contacted for comment in relation to the claims made to this newspaper.

A Peabody spokesman said: “We’re really sorry for the delay and understand this issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible. 

“We will make sure that our contractor fixes the problem urgently.

 "We think this may have been caused by a leak in another property, which has already been fixed.”

He added that a contractor is now due to visit the property today (July 7).