A Newham resident has received £4,500 in compensation from the council after living in a mouldy, damp flat for several years.

Mrs Balogun, who did not want to disclose her first name, won her claim against Newham Council after seeking legal advice over her two-bedroom Rowland Court flat in Canning Town.

She had been living with mould, damp, a broken living room door handle and mushrooms growing on her bedroom floor.

The case, settled on November 2 last year, saw the council hand over thousands of pounds in compensation and forced to bring the flat "up to legal standards", Mrs Balogun's solicitors said.

Newham Recorder: A leak caused mushrooms to grow inside the Newham two-bed flatA leak caused mushrooms to grow inside the Newham two-bed flat (Image: High Street Solicitors)

Newham Recorder: Newham Council was forced to pay £4,500 in compensationNewham Council was forced to pay £4,500 in compensation (Image: High Street Solicitors)

Since 2019, the tenant had repeatedly complained about mould and damp in her bedroom and bathroom to Newham Council.

Alongside this, she reported a missing living room handle making it difficult to open the door once it was closed and a defective shower cubicle that didn’t contain water properly.

Her bedroom was the most affected room, with damp and mould on the ceiling and walls and mushrooms growing from her carpet following a leak from the roof which ruined the tenant's expensive Nigerian clothes and soft furnishings.

Liverpool-based High Street Solicitors, who acted on behalf of Mrs Balogun, said her son also sent multiple emails - most of which were not logged.

Once these were disclosed, Newham Council admitted liability.

Newham Recorder: Canning Town resident Mrs Balogun said her belongings were ruined by a leak in the roofCanning Town resident Mrs Balogun said her belongings were ruined by a leak in the roof (Image: High Street Solicitors)

The solicitors' housing head of department Larissa Ellis said: “No-one should be living in such poor conditions in the 21st century.

"This particular tenant had been ignored for a long period of time and was living with a dangerous amount of damp and mould in her bedroom, as well as multiple other issues.

"She was left with no other option than to seek legal advice and we’re very happy with the outcome of this case.

"The works will be brought up to legal standards which will resolve these ongoing issues, and Mrs Balogun has been compensated for living in such conditions."

Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz said: “Every resident deserves to be in a home that is of a decent standard and to be treated with respect.

"The council was clearly in the wrong in this case and I am determined to make sure this does not happen again.

“I am on the side of residents and I made it my priority to fix the lack of investment in housing for many years and to change the way the council responds to housing complaints.

"That is why we have established a dedicated Damp and Mould Taskforce last year that residents can contact directly through our website and are investing £96m in our housing stock to make them the decent homes people deserve.”