A FEARFUL young mum whose 15-month old baby suffers from wheezing and a virus has told how she has been battling to get dampness in her home fixed for SIX MONTHS.

Erin Patton says her son, Dawson, has been unable to sleep in his own room since she moved to the house in Larkfield in February.

Ms Patton, 22, told the Telegraph that dampness keeps seeping through the walls and that, for the last three weeks, she has lived with a hole in her bedroom after Cloch Housing Association removed bricks to check the wall cavity.

Greenock Telegraph: Greenock Telegraph:

The young mum said: "The dampness is on the other side of the wall. They put a camera in the hall and found spores of mould.

"I feel totally helpless.

"If I was living here on my own, it wouldn't matter but this house was for him and my main concern is his health.

"Two years ago a two-year-old boy died in Rochdale because of the mould in his house. I wouldn't want anything to happen to Dawson."

Ms Patton added: "They told me they don't know what is causing it and the only thing they could do is block up the hole and put a thermal wall covering over it.

"I think that's just covering up the problem and the dampness will come back but that's all they can do and they have left it now in my hands.

"It's absolutely freezing upstairs because we've been left with this hole in the wall."

Ms Patton, of Larkfield Grove, told how Dawson is wheezy and chesty and suffers from allergies and that her GP instructed her to take the tot to the Royal Children's Hospital in Glasgow on Monday night to be examined.

She said: "The doctors told me he has a viral infection and he is to return this week as he has an allergy referral.

"We moved here from a one-bedroom flat where drug dealers were nearby. The move was a dream come true, but now it's turned into a nightmare.

"Dawson's dad started to decorate his room then found the lining paper was wet. Every time I raised the dampness issue, I'm the one that has to call back to find out what is going on.

"This has been going on since February, but to be fair Cloch did send someone out to re-tile the roof but the dampness came back a month later.

"They re-plastered an area of the wall and less than two weeks later the plaster was wet again.

"It's become damp twice since it's been re-plastered.

Ms Patton says she has raised an official complaint with the housing association.

She had hoped to get Dawson in his own room for his birthday in August but another milestone passed and she is no further forward.

Ms Patton said: "I feel as if I am failing him because I can't even provide him with a safe and secure bedroom.

"We are in he same position as before, he is sleeping in my room and I can't get him into a proper routine and he cries when he has to go to bed because he is used to me being in the room with him."

A Cloch Housing Association spokesperson said: "Once Cloch Housing Association were made aware of the reported issues we responded in line with our management of reported cases of mould and dampness.

"This included carrying out inspections and further investigations, discussing the issues with Ms Patton and suggesting remedial works.

"It is now our intention to contact Ms Patton over the next few days in order to discuss and resolve the issues as per our procedures."