A WOMAN claims the damp is so bad in her own home that turning on her lights will give her an electric shock.

Mum Lisa Mitchener fears chronic damp in walls next to the light switch in her porch threatens her safety.

It is the final straw in a two-year battle to contain damp and mould penetrating her two-bedroom Southampton flat, forcing her to throw away rotting clothes and bedding and regularly remove slugs from bedroom walls.

Now she is demanding housing bosses sort out the crisis ,which she says is making her family ill.

The problem stems from leaking rendering to outside brickwork of her privately rented property in Walnut Avenue, Mansbridge.

Paintwork is severely peeling on the outside walls while green spores spread through the rooms.

The 28-year-old administrator lives with partner Daniel Meleder, 31, and says their 21-month-old son Jack regularly suffers colds due to the damp.

Housing bosses have vowed to carry out improvements by the end of the month.

But Lisa also fears for her own health because medication she takes makes her more susceptible to chest infections.

Lisa said: “The damp is so bad in the porch that I’m too scared to turn on the light switch.

“Water and electricity don’t mix and I don’t know how it’s going to affect the rest of the electrics in the house.

She has had to throw out ruined bedding twice and a several pairs of shoes which turned mouldy.

Nursery furniture bought for Jack’s room has had to be cleaned and moved away from the walls.

But she says Radian Housing, which is responsible for maintenance is blaming them for failing to air it properly.

She added: “All they have done is blame us and tell us it’s the way we live.

“It really angers me and I just want it to be sorted out.”

Her plight comes after the Daily Echo revealed last month how a Southampton couple were living in a house with mould growing in all corners.

Radian Housing owns the building while lettings agent Clear Residential manages the flat on behalf of a landlord who owns the leasehold.

A spokeswoman for Radian said external wall rendering works would be carried out this month. But he insisted internal works were the landlord’s responsibility and said: “We have a strong record when it comes to responsive repairs and to planned maintenance, and we always investigate any concerns with damp or mould that is reported to us by our tenants.”

A spokesman for Clear Residential said they would assess internal works once Radian had finished. He said: “There is no point in carrying this out until the exterior works are completed as this is the main cause of the problem.”