Cardiff Mum Fears Mould-Ridden Council Flat Is Making Son Seriously Ill
A mother living in a Cardiff council flat says damp and black mould spreading throughout her home are making her four-year-old son unwell — and even led to part of the bathroom ceiling collapsing on him.
Kayleigh Ackerman, 29, has raised concerns about the condition of her property in Plasnewydd, where she has lived since April 2024. Just three months ago, a leak from the flat above caused the ceiling in her bathroom to deteriorate so badly that a section of damp plasterboard fell, hitting her son Billy while he was in the room.
“He should be happy running around full of energy and he’s not he’s constantly sat down with a bad cough and he can’t breathe”
Kayleigh says the mould has since spread to other parts of the home, damaging her belongings and forcing her to throw away towels, bedding, toys, and sentimental items — including keepsakes from her first child, who was stillborn in 2017.
“It’s been absolutely crazy,” she said. “It’s not just the bathroom — it’s spread to the cupboard where I kept bedding and towels. I had to throw it all out because it turned black. Now the wall in my bedroom is wet and crumbling — my TV even fell off the wall because the bracket came loose.”
Billy now sleeps in his mother’s bed, as his room is too damp to be safe. His health has significantly deteriorated since they moved in — he’s been diagnosed with asthma, requires an inhaler four times a day, and has developed anaemia. Kayleigh said doctors have linked the mould exposure to his respiratory issues and low iron levels. He is currently being treated for a respiratory infection.
Kayleigh, still grieving the loss of her first child, says her mental health has been pushed to breaking point over the past few months.
“Every time he’s ill, I panic — I think he’s going to die. I’m back and forth to the hospital constantly. They’re probably fed up of seeing me, but I’m terrified. I’ve read about children dying from mould exposure, and I’m scared the same thing could happen to him,” she said.
A high-profile case in 2020, in which two-year-old Awaab Ishak died from prolonged mould exposure in his social housing property in England, prompted new legislation in the UK requiring landlords to promptly address health and safety risks, including damp and mould.
Three inspectors recently visited Kayleigh’s flat and told her the property was not safe to live in. She was initially informed she would be moved into temporary housing within ten days. However, she was later contacted by the council and told the move was being cancelled because a previous inspection six weeks earlier had deemed the flat “safe.”
“I packed everything, ready to go. Then I got a call saying the move had been revoked. I was told that because someone said the flat was okay six weeks ago, I had to stay — but the situation has worsened massively since then.”
On Thursday, October 3, Kayleigh and her son were finally provided temporary accommodation in Taffs Well. However, she says she has not been told how long they will be allowed to stay, and fears they could be sent back to the flat.
In a statement, Cardiff Council said:
“We’re very sorry about the issues Ms Ackerman has been experiencing. The problem has been caused by a bathroom leak in the property above her home, which we’ve been working hard to fix since it was reported in August.
We’ve arranged temporary alternative accommodation for her family to ensure their comfort and safety while we fully investigate the leak. Having her property empty will allow us to get to the root cause of this problem.
We sincerely apologise for the disruption caused. We are doing everything we can to support Ms Ackerman through this process and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Wales Online, October 2025
