A woman who is suffering from cancer has had no choice but to stay in hotels because her Sidcup home is reportedly riddled with mould and asbestos.

Scott Tobin, his wife, and three children have lived in a two-bedroom flat on Ferby Court in Sidcup for the past seven years.

Since then, the family-of-five claim they have faced many problems with the flat, such as mould, asbestos, and a ceiling which collapsed and is alleged to have nearly injured his then two-year-old daughter back in 2019.

Scott told the News Shopper that his partner is currently battling cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, and because the current issues are “so bad”, he has been paying for his wife to stay in hotels over the past five months.

Scott told the News Shopper: "It's also overcrowded for us - I can't risk my wife getting any worse with her health due to the asbestos, so she is staying in hotels and has been for the past five months.

"I am also sleeping on the sofa - if you walk into the bathroom the floor also drops so you could literally fall through.”

News Shopper:

A spokesperson for housing association L&Q, who look after the property, said that the floor tiles which contain asbestos will be removed from their bathroom within the “next three weeks”.

Mark Newstead, Director of Major Programmes at L&Q, explained: “We’re so sorry that Mr Tobin and his family have experienced issues with their home at such a difficult time.

“The floor tiles containing asbestos will be removed from Mr Tobin’s bathroom within the next three weeks, and the floor will be replaced after that.

News Shopper:

“We’re sorry that this has taken longer than it should have.”

Mr Tobin claims that the flat has had problems with mould spores for the past five years, and L&Q has confirmed that Zap Carbon, a property who deal with damp and mould on their behalf, visited the property in June 2023 to clean the impacted area and apply a mould protection treatment.

Despite this, Scott says the mould wash “does nothing” and once it rains, the mould is back six months later.

Scott added: “If I am paying rent for the house, I'd want my issue sorted - it's just complete negligence.

"If they moved us, it would be lovely - I don't know how they can expect a big family including one child who is autistic living here - it's not liveable.

"We already had an issue five years ago when our roof collapsed, and we went to the papers."

News Shopper:

The full statement from Mark Newstead, Director of Major Programmes at L&Q, said: “We’re so sorry that Mr Tobin and his family have experienced issues with their home at such a difficult time.

“The safety and welfare of residents is always our priority, and we have spoken to Mr Tobin so we can address each of the issues he’s reported. “Zap Carbon, who deal with damp and mould on our behalf, visited Mr Tobin’s home in June 2023, to clean the impacted area and apply a mould protection treatment.

“We also checked the roof which was not leaking, and carried out repairs to the window seals which will hopefully stop any damp and mould coming back.

“In October 2023, Zap Carbon visited again, but did not find damp and mould. Mr Tobin has confirmed there is currently no mould at the property, but we will be monitoring this with the resident over the next few months.

“The floor tiles containing asbestos will be removed from Mr Tobin’s bathroom within the next three weeks, and the floor will be replaced after that. We’re sorry that this has taken longer than it should have.

“Our rehousing team has also reached out to provide some information on how he can apply to move home.

“We will continue to liaise with Mr Tobin to make sure we find the best solution for his family.”