PARENTS in Windrush and Evenlode Towers in Blackbird Leys have criticised delayed regeneration plans and say they are “dreading” the winter.

Residents say their children face chest problems because of damp and mould spores in the buildings, worsened by poor heating systems.

In June, Oxford City Council said the £20m revamp of Oxford’s five towers wouldn’t take place until early 2016.

Work had been due to start this spring but unexpected complications in scaffolding and increasing contractor prices delayed it.

Evenlode resident Anita Payne said: “The regeneration just seems to go back and back and it is disappointing.

“There has been a damp problem since we moved in. I use anti-damp paint but the wallpaper is coming away.

“It is caused by the heating. The system is atrocious. We have it on full blast in winter and it’s still freezing.”

Ms Payne, who lives with son Christopher, 22, and daughter Stephanie, 14, added: “We have suffered with chest problems. My sister, of Hockmore Tower, has severe asthma and had to move out.”

Mothers in Windrush Tower also fear for their children, many of whom have gone to hospital for chest problems.

The daughters of 30-year-old Sarah Campbell – Ceannah, three, and Navaiah, four – use asthma inhalers and Navaiah has croup, which affects the airways.

Ms Campbell said: “It’s a massive issue. Navaiah was tested at the John Radcliffe Hospital and she has an allergy to mould spores.

“The council put in a humidifier but it has made zero difference.”

Sarah Hopkins, 29, said her children Mishaq, two, and Micaiah, eight, have “constantly got a cough”.

She added: “The only reason I can think of is the damp. Micaiah has been diagnosed with asthma. Doctors asked if there was damp and I said yes, in both bedrooms and the living room.

“The delayed regeneration has made me angry. We have only been here since January and I dread the winter.”

GP Catherine Benson said: “It is recognised that in buildings with damp conditions children with chest problems are vulnerable.”

Improvements to the heating will be part of the revamp but mould can form from condensation in cold places.

City council spokesman Dominic Llewellyn-Jones said: “The council responds to all building defects when advised of such.

“As part of its £20m refurbishment, the council will renew all windows and heating systems, improve insulation and upgrade ventilation in bathrooms and kitchens.”

He said the 1960s tblocks were not designed for modern living standards but the works would improve life for more than 1,000 residents and reduce energy bills.