Council tenants in Barrhead and Neilston have hit out over “appalling conditions” caused by damp.

Mouldy walls, drain flies, snails and ruined clothes and furniture are just some of the issues being reported.

Barrhead dad Kevin Taylor, who lives in a two-bedroom property in Fenwick Drive, said the situation has left him at his wits’ end.

He has stayed at the Auchenback address for the past 13 years and claims flats there are “absolutely soaking”.

“Our bedroom walls have been so bad with black mould in the past that our son had a very bad cough,” he told the Barrhead News. “It’s a recurring issue and we just have to clean and keep on top of it.

“We are told we shouldn’t be drying clothes indoors, as that’s what’s causing the issue, but the majority of our washing goes out on the line and there is no way condensation is causing this.

“We have videos of water coming in from upstairs but we’re told there is no leak.

“The council informed us it would be our responsibility to skim plaster in the kitchen but the reason it’s falling off is the level of moisture in the walls.

“We have had to throw out hundreds of pounds worth of clothes and soft furnishings due to the mould spreading into wardrobes.”

Mr Taylor’s family is just one of many affected, with a number of other residents taking to Facebook to tell of their own nightmare.

Another resident told how she was left “absolutely fuming” after the council allowed her pregnant daughter to move into a property in the same area which the previous tenant had left as it was “black with damp.”

“Her kitchen units are falling off the walls,” she said. “My husband leant on her living room wall and it went in and the damp behind it is awful.

“East Renfrewshire Council knew this house was full of dampness, yet they painted it but didn’t treat it.”

Another resident, who asked not to be named, told how her daughter, who lives in the Craig Road area of Neilston with her two young children, is also suffering from damp in her home.

“This has been ongoing since she moved in about two and a half years ago,” she explained. “The final straw was when she noticed the damp spores on my grandson’s bed.

“She has lost lots of clothes, furniture and toys. She has recently reported snail trails in her bedroom..

“She has spent lots on her wee house but it is all getting destroyed in front of her eyes.”

An spokeswoman for the council said: “We assess all reports of damp from our tenants and carry out any required repairs. 

“If a tenant has concerns about damp within their home, they can report it direct to the team on 0141 577 3700.”