A man living in a council flat in Walthamstow has been forced to sleep in a mildew-ridden bedroom for weeks.

Michael Masters, 49 and of Forest Road, Walthamstow first alerted Waltham Forest Council to the mould on New Year’s Day, but claims he is yet to hear from surveyors three weeks later.

Mildew can cause serious respiratory and skin issues if people are exposed to it for prolonged periods of time.

Mr Masters first noticed the mildew growing up his skirting boards earlier this month and has since taken matters into his own hands, washing the walls with warm water and bleach to try and stop the problem from getting any worse.

Mr Masters said: “It is absolutely disgusting, I did not know what else to do.

“I got in touch with the council and they said they had emailed a surveyor who would get in touch with me in a matter of days.

“Three weeks later and still nothing. Now I’m having to redecorate my own home at my own cost.

“I had to strip the walls with warm water and bleach and do it all myself.”

Mr Masters has lived in the flat for the last 15 years and says he has never previously had any trouble getting the council to fix problems in his flat.

He added: “I have lived here since 2004 and I was very confused, they’re normally very good at getting back to me. I just do not know what happened.”

Cllr Louise Mitchell, cabinet member for housing at Waltham Forest Council, said: “We apologise that in this case the issues at Mr. Masters’ property have not been addressed in the timely manner we would wish, and we are looking into what went wrong in this case to prevent a repeat.

“A surveyor visited the tenant on Tuesday 22 January to assess the complaints of mildew and offer practical advice on how to minimise condensation. We will arrange a revisit to check that the mildew problem has been addressed.”