“I AM worried my disabled son will end up in hospital because of this.”

These are the words of a Southampton dad who is at the end of his tether because his two-bedroom flat is riddled with mould.

The problem has got so bad for Southampton couple Jamie and Marcia Palmer, who live in Brookwood Road, Millbrook, that they have had to resort to sleeping on the floor in their front room with their three-year-old son, Tyler.

Damp has taken hold throughout their ground-floor flat, with black mould spores on every wall, which Mr Palmer says is making it difficult for them to breathe.

The couple contacted Southampton City Council about the problem in December, but the council cancelled two appointments to tackle the problem.

Mr Palmer is worried that the mould is getting so bad that they will be forced to move. He fears that Tyler, who has cerebral palsy, high blood pressure, kidney problems and an immune system deficiency, will become so ill he will need hospital treatment.

He said: “We are at are our wits’ end at the moment. The council does not seem to be doing anything. They keep cancelling and prolonging it to a future date. This work needs to be done now. I am worried that this will end up with my son going to hospital, where he could have other complications because of his immune system.”

The family does not want to be re-homed as Mr Palmer, 27, who works as a cleaner and Mrs Palmer, 25, both like the area, but they feel that their home is becoming uninhabitable.

Jamie added: “We don’t want to leave here. Even if they rehome us temporarily that will be enough, but at the moment we cannot live like this.”

Southampton City Council blamed the delays on a backlog of other repairs needed because of bad weather over the winter.

In a statement it said: “We have brought in more resources to help us with this situation and reduce the backlog more quickly. We appreciate our tenants’ patience on this matter.

“Our tenants should use Actionline to report cases of damp and mould and liaise with our team on repair appointments.”