“We moved here for an easier life, but now I spend my evenings vacuuming up mold.”

The nightly cleaning routine began for Robert Whiteley four months ago when damp and mold appeared in the one-bedroom flat he shares with his wife Alison in Nottinghamshire.

The moisture and mold developed, they say, as a result of an untreated leak from an upstairs apartment.

Housing association Platform Group said it was working with the couple to resolve the issue.

Mr Whiteley moved into the West Bridgford flat three years ago after his long-term disability worsened.

The couple first noticed a damp spot in the living room, caused by a leak above their apartment, in July and contacted the housing association.

A plumber looked at the problem that month, but the damp and mold have “taken a turn” since then, the couple say.

The leak also affected all of the property’s pull ropes, a device that triggers an alarm to alert emergency services that people in the property need help.

Mr Whiteley says the pull rope in the living room started going off at random intervals, and all the ropes have now been disabled, leaving him “helpless” in an emergency.

The 63-year-old lives with osteoarthritis, a degenerative bone disease that affects his ankles.

“I struggle to walk, I use crutches and I can’t use stairs,” Mr Whiteley said. “My ankles are collapsing.”

“As the (traction rope) system is broken, if I fell and my wife wasn’t in it, what would I do?

“How long will I lie on the ground?

“We feel neglected by them. They keep telling us they will fix the problems, but nothing has happened.”

Ms Whiteley says she is deeply concerned about when the problems will be resolved.

“You just don’t feel like you can relax in your own home. I’m supposed to feel safe here… but that’s not the case anymore,” she says.

“We wake up to mold spores all over our desk and floor.

“I feel the difference in my chest when I spend a lot of time at home and then go to work.

“Even if they start fixing it now, how long will it take? I can’t bear the thought of spending Christmas like this.”

The couple say if work does not begin to resolve the problem in the coming weeks, they will have to consider moving.

Mr Whiteley added: “If we are forced to move into private rented accommodation it may not be suitable for my needs.

“We don’t want to leave this community; we love the people we’ve met here.”

Martin Woods, head of external contracts at Platform Housing Group, said: “We are sorry to hear our customers’ concerns.

“We have been in direct contact with him and are working with him to resolve the issue.”