A MOTHER-to-be has had to throw away a cot and pram due to mould in her home.

Mavis Eccles is 30 weeks pregnant and she and husband Paul bought the goods in anticipation of their newborn’s arrival but were distraught when they noticed they had turned mouldy.

Mr Eccles said he had complained about mould, damp and condensation since they moved into the Twin Valley property in Skye Crescent in Shadsworth, Blackburn in February.

The couple, both 35, have since stored all their baby’s things in a friend’s house.

Mr Eccles said: “We started noticing problems with damp in March and I have telephoned Twin Valley numerous times to complain since then. It’s got to the point where they know my name when I ring up.

“They’ve sent inspectors but say they can’t do anything and advise us to keep our windows open as there is no ventilation.

“We’ve sat with the windows open, just burning fuel on heating but it costs a fortune and we just can’t do it.

“We’ve scrubbed the walls with anti-mould spray and re-painted it with anti-mould paint but nothing we do is helping.

“My child is due in February and we just do not want to bring a child into this house.”

The couple are on a waiting list for a new Twin Valley home.

Twin Valley’s head of housing Ian Bell said: “Our specialist staff have been out to look at the problem and we have been advised it is condensation.

“Condensation can be tackled if the property is suitably ventilated and to help this, we are planning to install extractor fans in the very near future. This should alleviate the problem.”

Meanwhile, mother-of-two Samantha Fielding said her home in Stonyhurst Road, Blackburn had been plagued with damp since she moved in five years ago.

The 25-year-old said: “They just advised me to leave the windows open but with a small child, that wasn’t feasible.

“When I was heavily pregnant with my second child, they advised me to put a new coat of paint on the ceiling.

“My children were suffering because of the walls. I knew I had to move out and eventually got a new home in April.”

She is in dispute with Twin Valley over the non-payment of her notice period rent.

Managing director Ian Clark said she was moving due to wanting a house, not a flat – rather than repairs issues.