FAMILIES living in flats plagued with leaks and mould say they felt trapped and were ignored when they appealed for help.

Taryn Raison, 29, lives in a block of homes in Thomas Benold Walk, Colchester, with her partner and their three children, including a three-month-old baby girl.

The flats, which are owned by housing association Peabody Housing, are also home to Zoe Mitchell, 29, partner Terry Bickmore, 35, and their three children.

According to the fed-up tenants, the block suffers from the constant growth of mould due to underpowered extractor fans, poor ventilation and leaking pipes.

Zoe’s flat, in which she has lived for about four years, had a hole in the ceiling as a result of water damage.

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“The leaks come from upstairs when the plugs or overflow is blocked and it is impacting our lives,” said Zoe, who pays £523 a month rent.

“I have black mould in my kitchen and it’s not good for our health. I hate living here because no-one is doing anything about it and they just keep fobbing me off.

“This has been left like this for five months so far, even though my partner has COPD, I have a newborn baby and one of my children has asthma.

“It is unacceptable for my family to be living in this condition.”

Taryn, who moved in six years ago and pays £465 a month, says she and her family have also had ongoing problems with damp and mould but says nothing gets done.

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She said builders had been in but had not solved the problems.

She added: “It is like hitting your head against a brick wall.

“Our carpets are ruined, and our bathroom ceiling has come through twice because of all the leaking because there is an issue with the pipes. They are falling apart.

“There are puddles on the floor every morning, we constantly have to scrub the walls, and it is not helping my asthma or my partner’s depression.

“We feel trapped and forgotten about in a nightmare situation because we do not have the luxury to just up and move.”

A spokesman for Peabody Housing said repairs are due to be carried out this week.

He said: “We are aware of the situation at Thomas Benold Walk and we have been working hard to resolve the issues raised by Ms Mitchell.

“The water leak in the property was repaired and we will now be fixing the damage caused by the leak.

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“We have been in contact with the resident and hope to complete the repairs.”

He added: “We make every effort to ensure that these matters are dealt with in a timely manner and these repairs are due to be completed.”