Mum forced to leave Meredith Towers as wallpaper fills with water

Lisa Curnow had to leave her flat at Meredith Towers after the sprinkles system went off in her upstairs neighbour's flat causing the water to bring down the plaster on the walls.

The water has covered parts of her children’s walls as well as their beds which she said has made the room "unliveable".

She has been moved to a temporary flat around a month ago and still doesn't know when she will return.

The dampness has caused the plaster to come off (Image: Lisa Curnow)

After the issue was reported on February 10, the mum and her children, Lacey, six, Rosie, seven, Tyler, 11 and Lily, 13, were put into a hotel and have now been put in a temporary flat in Weston – where she is still staying.

Lily has autism, Lacey has vocal cord palsy, and Tyler has asthma; the conditions made it difficult for him to breathe.

“I was told by the council that the property is liveable, but I told them I couldn’t because my son has asthma and I have MS,” Lisa told the Echo.

In the days that followed, she claims she has tried to get the council to address the issue and at one point a worker brought a dehumidifier but didn’t know how to make it work.

“A man came with the humidifier to get rid of the dampness but didn’t know how to use it. And he told me to put it on to sort the damp but I didn’t know how to use it either.

“I would sometimes avoid going back to the flat because the room just stunk because of the damp. I have just had to keep the windows open all the time.”

The wall dampness caused water bubbles in the wallpaper (Image: Lisa Curnow)

She slammed the council for its ‘lack of communication’ and spoke of how this issue has affected her.

The 38-year-old said: “The lack of communication from the council has been absolutely atrocious.”

Lisa added: “My kids refuse to get up early to go to school. We have got to get up early because they go to [Woodlands Community College] and [Hightown Primary School] and they put us in Weston which is three miles away.

“We are away from all our support network. We live in Thornhill and we don’t know anyone in Weston."

The mum has said she still doesn't know when she will be able to return home, adding: "We haven't been told anything."

A Southampton City Council spokesperson said: “The safety and wellbeing of our residents is of paramount importance to us, so our team ensured that Ms Curnow and her family were provided with alternative accommodation after the incident with the sprinkler.

“This had been activated on 10 February due to the activity of residents in a neighbouring flat, which was not fire-related. The system has been inspected by the installer and returned to service with no defects reported."

The spokesperson added that works are currently taking place at the property, adding the council will "continue to support Ms Curnow during this difficult time to be able to return to her property once works are complete".