Family claim faulty insulation caused 'severe mould infestation'

A Swansea family of four has been forced to share a single room, sleeping on mattresses on the floor, due to severe mould infestation in their home. 

Zoe Godrich, the mother of three, describes the state of her home as "looking like a squat," with mould reappearing on the walls every two weeks despite her relentless efforts to remove the mould.

She claims the mould is due to a "botched" cavity-wall insulation job performed three years ago under a government 'green' scheme.

Claims cavity-wall insulation caused black mould

Zoe Godrich decided to install cavity-wall insulation under the Government's Great British Insulation Scheme, formerly known as the Eco Plus Scheme, in order to save money on her energy bills.

However, she claims problems began shortly after the insulation was installed with water pouring down the walls "like a little waterfall".

She says this caused severe black mould around her home that forced her to dispose of all beds, wardrobes, and even her six-year-old daughter's baby doll that were covered in fungi despite the mother's attempts to remove the mould from the walls.

Desperate to resolve the issue, Zoe claims she took out a £7,000 loan to have the insulation removed. But with no insulation, Zoe says the mould problem worsened as she couldn't afford heating her cold home.

Mould caused children to suffer eczema and asthma

Zoe claims the health of her family has significantly deteriorated, with one of her daughters now on medication for asthma and her son suffering from eczema, both conditions they did not have before the insulation was installed. 

Zoe believes the insulation work, carried out by the now-defunct Installers UK, is to blame for the moisture issues in her home, although, the firm claimed the problem stemmed from a hole in the roof.

However, seasoned building surveyor, David Walter, inspected the home in April and criticised the insulation and extraction work as poorly executed. He suggested that financial incentives from the government's insulation grants and a lack of proper oversight can lead to rushed, substandard work.

How poorly installed insulation can fail

Since 2008, over three million homes have received cavity-wall insulation through green energy schemes. However, energy watchdog Ofgem's data, seen by the BBC, indicates that insulation in hundreds of thousands of homes could have failed due to poor installation. Energy suppliers were only required to inspect 5% of installations, raising concerns about the remaining 95%.

TrustMark, an independent company overseeing quality schemes for government projects, acknowledged the complexity of the issues at Zoe's property. 

They noted that the work did not meet current standards, which emphasise a "whole house" approach to prevent such problems. TrustMark pledged to collaborate with relevant bodies to ensure Zoe's home becomes a warm, comfortable, and healthy environment for her family.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it could not comment on individual cases and instead directed us to a ministerial statement by Lord Callanan in February.

He said: "The Government acknowledges the findings on consumer experience, where some consumers may face difficulties when carrying out retrofit work, and on standards, where the landscape offering protections for consumers can be seen as complex and confusing to navigate.

"The Government is committed to protecting all consumers undertaking home retrofit work as well as improving the overall consumer journey."