A mum-of-three has been living in a mould-infested flat in Bromley for eight years - which she claims has left both her two-year-old son and partner hospitalised.

Kirsty Bunyan lived in a two-bedroom ground floor flat in Colebrook Rise and noticed that the issues with mould started soon after they moved into the property, getting worse in the winter months and coming back even after being cleaned away.

Kirsty and her family are now relieved to have been moved to temporary accommodation by housing association A2Dominion whilst the property is treated.

The 32-year-old believes that “it did not have to get to this point” and that it took her son, two, and partner to become ill to prompt any change.

Kirsty claims her son and partner were hospitalised in December due to respiratory problems and involved complications like flu, blood clots, and pneumonia – which she believes is due to the mould.

She told the News Shopper: “My son has been in the hospital since he was six-months-old as he has a constant cough and wheeze.

"My partner who is self-employed not only found that this has been detrimental to his health but also our financial situation as he was kept in for four weeks.

“The other day I pulled back the children’s beds and it's literally black - it's so hard to accept that that's the situation that you're putting your kids in.

"Each year it just comes back worse, so every summer it tends to dry up and we'll beach it and clean it, and we'll get a couple of months free, but then the minute it cools down in the winter, it just comes back again.”

A statement from A2Dominion explained that the repairs at Kirsty’s home took longer than expected due to extensive surveys required to determine the cause of the mould.

Potential asbestos was also found at the property, causing strict health and safety protocols.

Despite her regular complaints to A2Dominion, Kirsty says that their response has been unhelpful and delayed – claiming they often blame her and the family for the mould.

She claims their response has been limited to advising her cleaning the walls with bleach or sending over workers for a mould wash, which she said has proven ineffective in addressing the deeply ingrained mould which she believes is “rising damp”.

Kirsty says there was also a non-functioning extractor fan in the bathroom with no window - leaving Kirsty with no options to air out the space.

When she reported this, Kirsty claims that contractors discovered that insulation filled the fan, rendering it useless, and that the worker said he was unable to fix the issue.

A2Dominion claimed that Kirsty "initially refused" one of its requests to start work on her home last summer, "which meant a temporary delay.”

She claims this is false as “no one has ever booked in any work to rectify the problems in the bathroom.”

In an email seen by the News Shopper, A2Dominion replied to a formal complaint Kirsty made with with: “I accept that we have taken too long to resolve the issue, and the communication has been poor.

“Please accept my sincere apologies for the distress and inconvenience this has caused you and your family and for the length of time this has been ongoing for.”

On February 29, Kirsty was relieved when the housing association agreed to relocate her family temporarily to a hotel for their safety while they carry out renovations and mould proof their flat.

She expresses concern for her children, especially her eldest son, who is struggling with anxiety and ADHD.

Kirsty added: “While I appreciate that they are now doing something, I have had to pack up my entire home and put it in storage, we're now in a hotel Premier Inn.

“So I've got three kids in one room. Yeah, I've got no means to feed them or wash any clothes. I’ve still got to get them to school.

“This could have been avoided.”

A2Dominion has said that it is currently “removing any risk of asbestos, addressing the causes of damp and mould, replacing the extractor fan, fixing leaks, and redecorating the bathroom”.

Kirsty, however, thinks this is a “pointless task as the mould will be back in a week” due to the mould being so deeply ingrained in the walls and floors.

Jo Evans, Director of Repairs & Maintenance at A2Dominion, said: “The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority and so last year, we set up a specialist team to review historical cases of damp & mould and contacted Ms Bunyan to investigate her issue further.

“The works needed at Ms Bunyan’s home have taken longer than anticipated, because multiple surveys had to be carried out to establish the cause of damp and mould.

“Our checks also found potential asbestos which meant that strict and lengthy health and safety protocols were needed to carry out work safely.

“Unfortunately, Ms Bunyan also initially refused one of our requests to start work on her home last summer, which meant a temporary delay.

“We assigned a case manager for the family so we could build a positive relationship with them and come up with a mutually agreed plan of action.

“This resulted in moving the family into a hotel to keep them safe, while extensive work was completed, including removing any risk of asbestos, addressing the causes of damp and mould, replacing the extractor fan, fixing leaks, and redecorating the bathroom.

“We’d like to reassure Ms Bunyan that we’re doing everything we can to make sure her family are safe and comfortable in their home, and work should be completed as soon as possible.

“We have spoken with Ms Bunyan today to arrange the most convenient time for her and her family to move back home.”