Single mum from Inverness fears for her baby’s health in a council bedsit
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A single mum from Inverness says she is being forced to sleep on a relative's sofa because of health fears at her bedsit home.
Olivia Walton says she has no choice but to seek solace on a relative’s sofa, along with her three-month-old son Harry, in order to escape a stench emanating from the bathroom walls in her council bedsit.
The 26-year-old sales executive says she has been told she cannot be moved out of the bedsit in Hilton’s Oldtown Road due to coronavirus restrictions.
In a last-ditch plea, she has reached out to Inverness MP Drew Hendry for help.
“I am in a difficult situation,” Miss Walton said. “I feel that the bedsit is not safe to live in because of the toxic smell in the house.
“Highland Council has told me I cannot be moved because of the coronavirus and social distancing, but I am desperate for somewhere to stay. It is unacceptable to keep going on like this.”
She explained that she was offered the bedsit – which has only one room for the bedroom, living area and kitchen, plus a bathroom – a few days before giving birth, and that the council had told her it would be temporary.
“I moved in at the end of February, I noticed a really bad smell coming from the bathroom, and I raised it with the housing officer when I was signing the papers,” she said.
“Someone has painted the walls with an oil-based paint and this is maybe covering up why the bathroom had such a terrible smell in the first place.
“I tried to get rid of the smell by having windows open, and I used fresh lemons, candles and even vinegar to help but it didn’t.
“I am worried about my son’s breathing. If he has to take in that smell into his lungs, what could it do to him?
“I would like to be offered something that does not smell. Somewhere that me and my baby can actually settle in. At the moment it is very difficult to keep any of my son’s stuff in the bedsit as it instantly smells much worse.
“I am happy to accept anything in Inverness that is near my family, but at the moment I am being forced to sleep on a couch with my son because I am not able to live in the bedsit due to the smell.”
Mr Hendry said: “This is a stressful and worrying situation for Olivia, who as a parent, is understandably worried about her son’s health. I have highlighted Olivia’s pressing concerns about this property to the Highland Council, and I know we all want to see this family in a safe home.
“These are, however, extremely challenging conditions for the Highland Council housing department with lockdown still in place, and I know staff are working round the clock to support their residents with emergency issues relating to Covid-19.
“I will continue to work with them and Olivia to get this matter resolved as soon as it is possible to do so.”
A council spokesman said: “We are not able to comment on the individual circumstances of our tenants, however we are sorry to hear about these problems and staff will make contact with Ms Walton to try to resolve her concerns.”
