A COUPLE have spoken of their misery at being forced to live in a property which they say is uninhabitable.

John and Dee Hearfield, of Nuns Court, Richmond, said that severe damp in their Tees Valley Housing Group home is ruining their health, furniture and clothes.

Stewart Tagg, head of housing services at the group, said the flat had been investigated and that the problems were being caused by condensation.

Mr Hearfield, 52, who suffers from diabetes and a weakened immune system after a double organ transplant five years ago, said he realised something was wrong soon after they moved into the flat in April last year.

He said: "Pretty soon our furniture started to develop green moss on it. The carpets and bedclothes were always wet, and I had three suits completely ruined by the damp."

After complaining to the housing group, the couple were issued with a large dehumidifier. Following discussions with the couple, the housing association agreed to pay for the extra electricity used by the device, but Mr Hearfield and his wife, 70, have refused its offer to pay the entire electricity bill of £162.

Mr Hearfield said: "An independent inspector told us the house was uninhabitable. We have been treated like animals by Tees Valley Housing and I have decided that to accept their offer would be to condone their behaviour."

Mr Tagg said: "We have taken action to mitigate the effects of the condensation.

"We are continuing to attempt to reach an amicable resolution with Mr and Mrs Hearfield, and are happy to discuss any concerns they may still have."

North Yorkshire County Councillor Stuart Parsons, who also sits on Richmondshire district and Richmond town councils, said he would lodge a formal complaint to the housing association on behalf of Mr and Mrs Hearfield.

He said: "It seems to me Tees Valley are trying to pull the wool.

To suggest that the problem is condensation seems ridiculous.

Why offer to install a dehumidifier unless there was damp in the house?

"The Hearfields have been treated appallingly and I will definitely be making a complaint."