Sheffield family forced out of bedrooms by mould and leaking ceilings as they battle council for action 

For more than three years, Jamie Turner and his wife have pleaded with Sheffield City Council to find and repair the source of a leak in their maisonette-style flat. Sadly, the family of six has been left with just two bedrooms of use as mould has rampaged through their home.

The family is currently battling a range of health conditions including epilepsy and a recent heart attack - and they said their damp home is making life “more and more depressing”.

It was only after the family posted a video on TikTok showing the extent of the leaks and mould in the bathroom, hallway, and one of the bedrooms that they were urged by users to reach out to The Star.

Jamie, aged 42, said: “We have learnt to cope with living here because we have been here that long, but since I have had a heart attack and my youngest daughter has been diagnosed with epilepsy, it’s caused a lot of stress.

“We just want to be moved elsewhere, or have it made more liveable.”

Mould on the mattress and around the bed of the eldest son’s bedroom has meant that he now sleeps in the youngest child’s room. This has meant the youngest now sleeps on a pull-out bed in the living room, while Jamie and his wife sleep on the settee. The other two children share a room.

After the family reached out to The Star, Sheffield City Council was approached for details on the action it would take to resolve the issues, but has so far failed to respond. 

However the family say the council has now since been in touch to apologise, and contractors appear to have fixed the leak after a number of unsuccessful attempts in previous months.

Jamie is hoping that now the leak has been fixed, they will be able to sort out the mould issue throughout the house, replace the damaged carpets, and work towards giving their youngest child, who has “never known his own bedroom”, his own room.