Young pregnant mum-of-four demands move from 'damp and mouldy' flat with just one usable bedroom in Milton Keynes

Ocean-Blu McGuinness, 25, is nearly six months pregnant and has to sleep on a mattress on the floor in the living room of the Fullers Slade flat,

Her four children aged eight, six, two and one are crammed into one bedroom because the second bedroom is unusable due to damp and mould, she says.

"As soon as I put a bed and bedding in there it goes mouldy. It would be dangerous to sleep in it," she said. "As fast as I wash the mould off, it comes back again."

To make matters worse, Ocean says the council has confirmed there is asbestos in a cupboard and possibly in the cracked ceiling of the open plan lounge and kitchen.

"We're living with damp, mould and asbestos and we are seriously overcrowded. My baby is due in November and there is no room for another cot. I have complained and complained to the council and they won't do anything," she said.

This week, after the Citizen put questions in to MK Council about the living conditions of the Moorfoot flat, the housing department contacted Ocean and arranged to visit the place next week.

"But they still say I am classed as Band B, which is not a priority move," she said. "How much more overcrowded do we have to get before they do something?"

Ocean has a partner who also stays overnight occasionally. He sleeps on the sofa while she sleeps on a single mattress on the lounge floor.

With just the one living area, there is no room for the children to play, she said.

She moved into the flat nine years ago when she was heavily pregnant with her first child. As the family expanded, and the condition of the flat deteriorated more and more, she has repeatedly asked for a move, she says.

Because she is on benefits, she cannot afford to rent privately - and only a handful of private landlords in MK will agree to take tenants on benefits anyway.

An MK Council spokesman told the Citizen: “Visits to carry out repairs to this property are scheduled for the first week of August."

He added: "We aim to progress all housing applications as fast as we can and will always help families move into properties that better suit their needs as soon as they become available.”