A FATHER has been left furious after his son’s university accommodation was left riddled with mould, leaving him with a chesty cough and ruined personal items.
Wayne Savage said he is “livid” after finding his son’s room in the Student Village at Bournemouth University covered in fur, black mould and water running down the walls.
Connor Savage, 19, moved into his room for his second year of university in September, studying psychology and counselling, having lived in the same accommodation in his first year.
Wayne said a week after moving in, Connor saw a small patch of mould on the ceiling and began experiencing a chesty cough but believed it to be fresher’s flu.
The mould was reported to the university, who sent a maintenance worker to paint over it.
However, almost two months of living in the room on November 1, Wayne collected Connor to visit home for the weekend and said he could smell damp and mould on his belongings.
“I went in on Sunday (November 3) after being home for the weekend and I touched his bed and under his pillow was soaking wet,” said Wayne.
“There was water running down the walls and the mattress had black spots all over it.
“Everything was covered in fur.”
Connor’s shoes, laptop case and picture frames were some of the items that had to be thrown away due to mould contamination.
“It was horrendous, the smell when you walked in, it just hit your throat and your eyes,” said Wayne.
He added that he is worried other students are living in the same conditions and are unaware of the health implications of mould.
Connor said in an email to the Student Village team: “I feel extremely let down by Bournemouth University.”
A Bournemouth University spokesman said: "We are committed to provide our students with safe and comfortable places to live when they stay in our accommodation and agree that this requires urgent attention.
"We have systems for reporting maintenance issues and raising complaints if students are unhappy with the quality of repair work. This particular issue was raised through these processes and as a result we are working to put it right as soon as possible."
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