‘My daughter’s cot went mouldy due to damp issues’

Tenants of Edinburgh’s Banana Flats, which featured in the film Trainspotting, have said their human rights are being breached by poor conditions.

They have been living with damp, mould, pests and broken lifts ahead of a delayed “retrofit” due to start next year.

Edinburgh City Council says the multi-million pound investment will “address concerns” but residents are sceptical and worry the building’s fearsome reputation means they have been “forgotten”.

Stacey Panda spent six years fighting to have her daughter’s bedroom replastered after discovering black mould covering parts of the wall and floor.

Ms Panda, 37, said she noticed the “smell of damp” when she moved in to her flat in 2015.

She was forced to sleep on a mattress in her living room with her youngest daughter for several months until the issue was eventually resolved in 2021.

But by then, mould had been found on the legs of her daughter’s cot, in a wardrobe and a box of family memories including pictures and outfits worn by her two children.

She said she was “repeatedly dismissed” by the council during that process and given incorrect advice on how to deal with the problem.