PEOPLE living in bungalows in Braithwaite say chronic damp is making their lives a misery.

Residents of Whinfield Avenue, Keighley, say the damp has persisted for years and that their landlord, Incommunities, has failed to resolve it.

But a spokesman for the housing association responded: "There have been repair reports made to which we have responded.

"We're currently carrying out work to address a condensation issue at properties on Whinfield Avenue. The work includes fitting thermal boarding to walls and carrying out anti-mould treatment."

Anne Simmonds, 58, who lives in one of the one-bedroom bungalows with her husband, said she had "hit rock bottom" and had lost many possessions to the damp.

"I've needed to have five new beds, and I've also lost carpet, bedding, clothes, photos and pictures – some of which can never be replaced" she added.

"None of my furniture matches because I've had to beg and borrow so much. You can only redecorate so many times and it's been a nightmare."

Mrs Simmonds, who has twice had breast cancer and also has asthma, moved into the bungalow about seven years ago. She said it had been newly decorated, so any issues with damp weren't immediately apparent.

However, she said when it became obvious several months later it began badly affecting the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

"When I took my husband's leather jacket out of the wardrobe it had mould all over it," she said. "We had a beautiful cream carpet in the bedroom which we had to throw out because it was covered in mould spores.

"I put in a complaint and itemised the value of what we lost. That came to £8,000, but we've only been offered £2,000. They asked for receipts, but the damp made them impossible to read."

She said despite repeated visits and remedial work by the landlord, the damp has still not been fixed.

Neighbour Paul Roden, 54, said he had lived in his bungalow since 2004 and that damp had blighted the home for as long as 10 years. He said treatment of affected areas with bleach and fresh paint, along with repointing work, had not eradicated the problem.

"I've got COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and I get a lot of chest infections," he said. "In January I picked up a really bad infection and ended up in intensive care.

"In winter I have to move out of my bedroom and sleep in the living room because the mould in the bedroom is so bad.

"It's no good just using bleach or painting over it, they need to get to the bottom of the issue."

He said he had been forced to throw out personal possessions wrecked by damp, including carpets, a sofa, clothes and a bed.

The Incommunities spokesman said: “A repairs manager visited the properties on Friday April 24 and spoke to residents at two of the homes concerned to reassure them that we're committed to addressing their concerns.

“He repeated advice regularly given by Incommunities’ colleagues on the important steps households should take to prevent a build up of condensation.

"We're also attempting to get in touch with neighbouring households who could not be contacted last week to emphasis our advice.

“Following the works we will closely monitor this matter and, if needed, will respond immediately.”