'Sleeping rough on the streets would be better than this'

A woman has told how her dream move into her new home turned into a nightmare after discovering appalling black mould.

Joanne Cavanagh moved into her new flat less than six months ago, but says she's so stressed by the state of it, she sometimes feels she'd be better off sleeping rough, the Liverpool Echo reports. Construction on the estate is ongoing, but people are moving in all the time as building phases are completed and new housing becomes available to let.

The development in Halewood, Merseyside is a mixture of private, affordable and socially rented properties with gardens front and back, driveways for parking and even electric car charging points.

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Joanne said: "I was just saying to my mum that it's such a shame, because this could be a really lovely place to live, but with this situation going on, it's just too stressful."

"All I wanted was to start a life in a new property and I was so excited to get this. I was just looking forward to being settled and being involved with the community and live my life."

"But the way I'm feeling now and these problems with the black mould and damp, it's took all energy away from me."

Tony Cahill, Executive Director at Livv Housing Group: "We've been made aware of concerns relating to damp in these two properties. Where access has been granted to the home, our operatives and specialist damp surveyors have attended and installed monitoring technology to keep an eye on the situation so we're able to respond quickly should any issues occur."

"We have also provided advice to the customers on the importance of using the ventilation systems