A PREGNANT woman is appalled by the amount of mould appearing in her flat despite daily efforts to clean the fungus from walls and windows reports ANDY SHERWILL.

Della Hunt, aged 20 is five and a half months pregnant, has lived at the Willow Close flat in Abergavenny for the past eight months, but says she has had nothing but trouble since being given the one-bed flat after spending a year at the Woodstock Hostel.

Della said, "It seemed as if I had everything go wrong with the flat when I first moved in. There were problems with the toilet system and when this was fixed the boiler stopped working, leaving me without hot water and heating for six weeks.

"But now the mould is so bad in the flat I have had to move the bed out of the bedroom and put it in the living room where I now sleep at nights. The aroma from the mould is just overpowering and I have to live with the windows open all the time.

"As I am on the ground floor, for security reasons, I can't leave the windows open at night and the smell in the morning is so strong.

"Now that I am almost six months pregnant, I can no longer clean the walls myself. When my mother, who lives in Barry, visits me she cleans the mould off the walls, but the fungus soon returns within days and it seems to be spreading.

The flat is part of a larger complex, which is run by Charter Housing Association.

Mould is a type of fungus which forms anywhere there is moisture trapped in the air, typically around showers. There are about ten types of mould that cause health problems, commonly sinusitis, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.

Those most at risk of health problems caused by household moulds are children and babies, the elderly and those in poor health.

Della added, "I've complained so many times and the last time I was told that I should purchase a bottle of mould cleaner from a DIY store. But this is very expensive and beyond my means. Even when my mother cleans the walls, I have to vacate the flat as I react badly to some of the chemicals used in the cleaner so even if I did buy the mould cleaner as suggested I would be unable to use it myself."

"All I want is somewhere nice for me and my baby. I want to stay in Abergavenny as friends and family are here.

I really need to be upgraded to two bedroomed flat and was told by Charter Housing that I would have to reregister and go to the bottom of the housing register,

"When the baby is born, I don't want to bring it back to this flat as its in a disgusting state and it is beyond my capabilities to effectively clean the walls on a daily basis. Cleaning it doesn't solve the problem, it just keeps it in check for a day or two.

"This is no joke and I am at the end of my tether."

A spokesman for Charter Housing said, "We have over the last few months diagnosed various problems associated with condensation and we are currently working with the tenant to resolve these issues."