A MUM and her two autistic children have been put in an “unlivable” hotel for weeks after an asbestos scare in their problematic home.
Charlotte Flanagan and her family were forced to leave their home in Rayners Close, Colnbrook, after asbestos was discovered.
When inhaled over long periods of time, asbestos fibres can cause fatal diseases such as lung cancer.
As such, the family were promptly moved to the Travelodge hotel in Herschel Street, Slough, and have been there since September 11. The mum said they have no cooking or laundry facilities, limited parking spaces, and are ‘miles away’ from her children’s school in Colnbrook.
She said the home has been plagued with outstanding issues that have not been repaired since 2020. Black mould is all over the walls and underneath tiles, the boiler makes a constant banging noise and does not produce any heating, and the flooring is reportedly rotten – so much so that one of her children put a hole in the floor.
The concerned mum said the black mould got so bad that her child had to be hospitalised and Ms Flanagan’s asthma has worsened to the point she requires a steroid inhaler. She is also needing to get surgery on her foot after it went through the rotten wooden flooring.
“I don’t want to go back to the property, to be quite frank,” Charlotte said, “I’m worried.”
Since the move, the family has been spending a lot of money on takeaways, washing their clothes at the laundromat, £10 a day on parking, and even paying for five parking fines – which were appealed but rejected.
At a meeting on Tuesday, October 10, attended by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, mum Charlotte told her property landlords housing association L&Q that the hotel is “unliveable,” saying it is financially draining her and her partner.
She said: “I’m struggling for money because being in a hotel is very costly. I’m living on takeaways. You have no nutritional meals, you can’t have adequate cooking facilities to prepare vegetables, and we’re not allowed microwaves.”
She also said she is fearful of the anti-social behaviour that happens at and near the hotel and is requesting to be moved out on medical grounds.
Receipts have been kept for L&Q to reimburse Charlotte and her partner, but she claims payments have to be pursued for months.
L&Q representatives apologised at the meeting and said they would look into rehousing Charlotte and her family closer to Colnbrook and will chase up reimbursing her expenses.
An L&Q spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for the problems that Ms Flannagan has been experiencing. Every resident deserves a home they feel safe and happy in, and we are working with the family to find an alternative temporary housing option that meets their needs.
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“We are in the process of carrying out a substantive programme of repairs to the property including replacing the bathroom and hallway flooring. In line with our temporary rehousing policy, Ms Flannagan and her family were moved into a hotel on September 11 and have received a daily allowance.
“Once works are complete, L&Q will cover the costs of internal redecoration and consider any additional claims for compensation. We remain in close contact with Ms Flannagan and are working with her to make sure we put things right.”
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