A WOMAN who was left in a house of mould and damp claims she would rather be living in “cardboard city”.

Debbie Evans, 65, of Chapel Road, Burnham, has been worried about her health since a leak left her Moat Housing property wet and damp four months ago.

She claims Moat has failed to get rid of the damp or move her out, despite medical advice from her doctor.

She said: “I’m in a bad situation – I don’t know where to turn.

“It’s causing a lot of stress and I don’t feel like I want to be here anymore.

“It’s been four months of sitting in mould and wet.

“I’m really disappointed in the way they’ve handled things. I’ve been a customer of theirs for 20 years – I’m really fed up with it.

“They’re happy to move people into these properties but reluctant to do anything about the issues.

“Yet they manage to take my money each month while nothing’s being done.

“I’d rather be in cardboard city.”

Debbie says Moat managed to fix her heating after a report in the Maldon and Burnham Standard last month, but other issues remain.

She claims her walls are “jet black” with damp, piping is sticking out of walls, and Moat is testing for asbestos.

She added: “If they are not sure if there is asbestos or not, why don’t they move me?

“The biggest problem is that they can’t do anything to fix the pipes without skimming the walls and floors, which would disturb the asbestos.

“My birthday was ruined and my Christmas was ruined because I couldn’t have my family over like planned.

“A support officer told me they didn’t realise how bad it was and that I’d have lots of calls from them, but I’ve heard nothing.

“They have very bad customer service, that’s all I can say. I don’t have the words to describe it.

“It’s really isolating me from my family – I barely go out because it’s really made me ill.”

A Moat Housing spokesman said: “We have been in regular contact with our resident and are in discussions with her regarding a move to alternative housing.

“We have also scheduled a range of remedial works to her current property, including mould washes, painting and new flooring.

“Due to the extent of this work, an asbestos check has been carried out as part of our standard health and safety procedure.”