ALMOST £60 a day of taxpayers’ money was spent tackling mould in council houses, a Freedom of Information request has found.

Colchester Borough Homes was forced to spend £21,317 dealing with the problem in 2011/12.

The request revealed 440 reports of mould and damp during the year compared to the 6,133 homes the service runs.

However, there were only six formal complaints made about the way Colchester Borough Homes dealt with mould issues and just £60 was paid in compensation to tenants.

A Colchester Borough Homes spokesman said: “Every home will get condensation at some time as it is formed when we cook, wash, dry clothes and go about our everyday lives.

“We recognise some tenants have difficulty dealing with the amount of condensation in their home and we work with them to reduce the risk of mould in their homes.

“We investigate every mould or damp problem reported, carrying out inspections and either resolving the issue via a repair, or support the tenant with advice on heating and ventilation to help minimise the problem.

“Our property services team work on preventing problems before they get reported.

“When one of our properties becomes vacant we complete a survey, treating or repairing any areas of concern.”

Helena Harrison said she fought with Colchester Borough Homes to get mould in her home in Savill Road, Old Heath, sorted for several months.

Mrs Harrison, 43, said: “The figure does surprise me. I can’t see how or where it spends that kind of money.

“More should be spent on maintenance, and making sure when windows are fitted, anti-mould sealant is used, that sort of thing.

“We were told to put the heating on and leave the windowopen, but who in their right mind would do that? Colchester Borough Homes said we were not ventilating the house properly, but ventilation is down to them.

“To me, prevention is better than cure and when someone reports something, it should act on it straight away as if they leave it, it will cost more to sort it out.”