AN ANDOVER mother-of-three has said her house no longer feels like a home after 'horrendous' damp problems which almost ruined her family's Christmas.

Charlotte Wooltorton, of King George Road, said she has had issues with the Aster Group property since she moved in eight years ago with maintenance workers visiting repeatedly to leaks in the kitchen, which has rising damp to thigh-height level, a saturated floor and mouldy, crumbling cabinets.

A few weeks ago, the 31-year-old tried to use her cooker but found it would not turn on.

After an Aster representative investigated, she said the worker found the gas and electricity mains had fully rusted and there was no earthing to the appliance.

She said: "It's not a home. It's absolutely horrendous and I'm just not getting anywhere with them.

"I can't cope with it anymore."

Ms Wolltorton added she has had to cook meals for her three children aged five, 11 and 13, using a microwave, adding: "I don't think it's good for them to have microwave meals every single night.

"My children think it's horrible."

The family's festive holiday period was almost ruined as Ms Wooltorton would not and could not cook Christmas dinner in the microwave, but the children's father and his mother paid for them to spend Christmas at Butlins.

Three years ago Ms Wooltorton also reported severe damp and mould in her then 10-year-old son's room, which had forced her to throw out his bed, mattress, wardrobe, clothes and toys.

At the same time her living room also had damp problems.

She said a worker came out to investigate but only advised the walls be bleached and painted over, to not use clothing airers and open the windows more often.

The children's father, who is a professional painter and decorator, ended up bleaching the walls and paying for paint to cover up the damp.

Ms Wooltorton added she has put in ventilation in every room and opens windows in the morning, but this has not helped and the damp issues have merely got worse.

It has been a year since she has thrown out the room's mouldy furniture and refuses to buy more until the problem is solved while the issues have also affected her family's health.

Of the family, all but her daughter, Maddison, has asthma that Ms Wooltorton says is a result of the mould and damp with the mother herself taking steroids for three months and has taken several types of antibiotics due to continuous respiratory issues.

The carer said: "We're just ill all the time, it's just horrible.

"I like it when my children go to school and I'm at work because we're safe."

"I'm paying to be ill and have no help."

The Advertiser contacted Aster Group which was unable to respond in time by the time the paper went to print.