Two neighbours say they were left astounded when Roddons told them the reason they have damp patches and mould inside their bungalows is because they have too much furniture.

Cambs Times: Shirley Kavanagh and Jenny Bond werre told by Roddons they have too much furniture in their front rooms which is why they they suffer damp. The bungalows in Eaton Estate, Wimblington, have been damp since a new roof was put on about four years agoShirley Kavanagh and Jenny Bond werre told by Roddons they have too much furniture in their front rooms which is why they they suffer damp. The bungalows in Eaton Estate, Wimblington, have been damp since a new roof was put on about four years ago (Image: Archant)

Shirley Kavanagh and Jenny Bond said their homes were fine until about four years ago when a new roof was installed.

Now, they suffer patches of damp that are so bad they are wet to the touch, their houses smell, items go mouldy inside the kitchen cupboard at one home and for another it ruined a wardrobe that needed throwing out.

Shirley, who has lived at Eaton Estate in Wimblington for 14 years, said: “We have to clean the mould patches on a weekly basis otherwise it gets out of hand.

“We were both told we have too much furniture which is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

“When I lift the mat by my kitchen back door it is soaking wet.

“It’s freezing cold in the hall with a draught from the door yet there’s damp round the front door. It’s a real struggle keeping on top of it.

“We both bought a humidifier for £100 but that isn’t helping much we also have the de-humidifier pots that fill up within a week.

“We were told by Roddons that we need a fan on in the hall at all times, and need to leave windows open but we have the trickle vents open, we have to wipe down windows and frames daily, we heat our homes well, this wasn’t like it until the new roof.”

Jenny said: “I went away for five days at Christmas and when I came back one of the damp patches in the front room had gone green.

“In my kitchen cupboard the cling film box has gone mouldy.

“It feels damp and it smells damp, I have a friend who doesn’t like visiting me here as she can’t stand the terrible smell.

“The damp areas are soaking wet, my living room window sill is wet, it’s horrible living like this.

“I don’t know what happened when the new roof went on but there was nothing like this before we had it.”

Sue Stavers, head of housing services for Circle Housing, said: “We are sorry that our residents are experiencing these issues.

“Independent surveyors recently carried out full inspections at all of our homes in the area, but they did not report any potential issues to us relating to these two properties.

“We will carry out further surveys this week to identify the cause of the problem so we can work with our residents to resolve it.

“We continue to ask residents to report issues directly to Circle Housing in the first instance so they can be rectified as quickly as possible.”