Landlords, tenants and housing officials are being urged to come together to tackle a problem which costs the NHS more than £2.5 billion every year.

An alarm company, Aico, has set up what it’s calling Damp and Mould Action and Awareness Week, claiming that over seven million households in the UK are affected by damp and mould.

It says damp and mould produces allergens, irritants, mould spores and other toxins that are harmful to health. According to the Institute of Health Equity, illnesses linked to cold, damp and dangerous homes cost the NHS more than £2.5 billion a year.

The action and awareness week, which will take place between October 28 and November 3, has the backing of Professor Timothy Sharpe, Head of Architecture at the University of Strathclyde, who specialises in indoor ventilation and transmission.

He says: “The harmful effects of damp and mould have been known for many years. There are many factors that can lead to the problems of damp and mould, along with other issues of poor air quality such as exposure to pollutants, so it is important to help both owners and landlords understand the issues, the potential impacts, but most importantly measures that can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk.

 “However, one of the great challenges is that we do not routinely monitor the actual performance of buildings, and this becomes even more important when we consider the changes that we need to make to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions from our existing housing.

“The idea of a Damp & Mould Action and Awareness week is an excellent way of improving knowledge and understanding of how these issues may be better understood and addressed.”

There are more details here: www.aico.co.uk/damp-mould-action-and-awareness-week