A MOTHER is pleading with the council to rehouse her after having to live with her two small children in a property covered with damp.

Belinda Naish, 23, of Barnard Gardens, Hayes has been living in a flat provided by Hillingdon Council over the past year even though environmental health have said the home is unfit to live in.

Miss Naish is residing with her partner Ian Dowling and her two children, three month old Scarlet and one year old Crystalan and is concerned about their health as both Ian and her youngest have suffered from breathing difficulties since moving in.

Miss Naish said: "The damp is up the walls and it has affected every room apart from the kitchen, my partner has started to get a chesty cough and I have taken my three month old baby to the doctor with a wheezy chest.

"It's absolutely terrible living here, we've had to throw away the new born's clothes before they were worn because they were covered in damp and we also threw away a brand new pushchair which cost £300.

"We just feel stuck here, the council say we're a priority but they've only shown us one place in the past year and that was on the Uxbridge Road which wasn't a safe option with two young children."

Mr Dowling said: "Since living here I've noticed I started getting a tight chest and I find it difficult to breathe. But we can't even leave this place without the council finding us somewhere because the council said if we do they would class us as making ourselves intentionally homeless and we might not be entitled to their support."

Neil Stubbings, Head of Housing Services at the council said: "We've been working with Ms Naish since the end of last year to try and resolve the issues.

"Unfortunately she declined alternative accommodation which was offered to her. We have started action against the landlord asking them to rectify the problems and are working to resolve the issue."