A TRANENT mum has revealed she has to take her young son three miles to her parents’ home so he can have a bath because of the damp in her own house.

Adele Gibson has repeatedly asked East Lothian Council to find suitable accommodation for her and her four-year-old son Cole.

But she says they have refused, telling her to paint over the large areas of mould in her bathroom.

Adele’s council house, at Northfield, has wallpaper peeling off it, with black mould clearly visible on the walls and around the shower.

The property is also plagued with rats, who have eaten through the walls and Adele’s clothing.

But she said the council’s approach had been to simply cover up the problems. She said: “The solution to the damp, which they insist is condensation, is to paint over it, while the problem with the rats has been tackled by blocking up the holes and putting rat poison down.

“My son has to go to his grandparents for a bath and is not allowed in the kitchen in case he touches the rat poison. It is not a solution, the council is not interested, they just want to patch over things and hope they go away. When I asked what happens when the rats die I was told they had a deodorant which would deal with the smell.”

The conditions in the bathroom, where the shower is lined with black mould, are so bad Cole refuses to go in the shower.

Adele said: “You can’t be in [the shower] for any time without feeling unwell. There is no bath and Cole has to go to my parents home in Ormiston for a bath.”

The family’s own GP has stated in a letter of support: “Clearly, these conditions do not seem suitable and I would support [Adele’s] case to try and find a move for her as soon as possible.”

A council spokesperson said: “The council is unable to comment publicly on the specifics of any tenant’s individual circumstances. However, the council is aware of and has been addressing this tenant’s concerns.”