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 at the end of this spring[[2015]], 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.

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“There has been a damp problem since we moved in, which has got worse as the years have gone on. I use anti-damp paint but the wallpaper is coming away.

“It is caused by the heating. The system isabsolutely 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 a lot of chest problems. My sister, of Hockmore Tower, has severe asthma and had to move out because of it. The regeneration just seems to go back and back and it is disappointing.”

Mothers in Windrush Tower also fear for the welfare of their young 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 windpipe and 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.

“I have spoken to the council and theyThe 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 since we moved in. Doctors asked if there was any damp in the property 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.”

Both Windrush Tower in Knights Road and Evenlode Tower in Blackbird Leys Road were built in the 1960s.

Oxford GP Catherine Benson said: “It is recognised that in buildings with damp conditions children with chest problems are more vulnerable. That environment is likely to make them worse.”

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 forthcoming £20m tower block refurbishment scheme, the council will renew all windows and tenanted heating systems, improve insulation and upgrade ventilation in bathrooms and kitchens."

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