THE COUSIN of the victim of a brutal sex murder is being forced to live in a damp and mouldy house.

Mum-of-one Deborah Sindall, a relative of tragic Diane Sindall who was beaten to death and sexually assaulted in Birkenhead over twenty years ago, has been told that the disgusting conditions she is left to live in are "her fault."

But Deborah and her two-year-old son Andrew have only lived at the Paterson Street house in Birkenhead for six months, and already the single mum said she is "ready to leave."

The walls are blackened with damp and the windowsills are mouldy and wet but Deborah's desperate pleas have been rebuffed by housing company Maritime, who are part of the Regenda Group.

"I feel like I am trapped in a dirty house," she said.

"For three months I have been fighting to get something done about this problem and now I have been told that it's all my fault."

In a letter to the 18-year-old from Regenda, whose motto is making the North West a better place to live,' the company acknowledge that the property is suffering from "severe condensation."

But they say that it is because the house is "not heated and ventilated adequately" and that they are "not in a position to offer alternative accommodation."

"I'm disgusted," said Deborah who left the family home to live in the property.

"I have had three different inspections done in the last two weeks, all confirming the problem, and yet nobody is prepared to do anything about it, even though I do open the windows regularly to keep the house well ventilated."

She added: "There is damp and mould in nearly every room in the house, including my son's bedroom which has had an impact on his health causing him to suffer from a lot of colds.

"I am fed up of living in this depressing state and if they are not going to sort the problem out, then I want to be moved."

Birkenhead councillor Brian Kenny said: "Naturally, I would expect anyone living in these conditions to be treated sympathetically and their home brought to a satisfactory state.

"I would be more than willing to help Miss Sindall if she is unhappy in her home and I will take her issues to the highest level."

A spokesperson for Regenda said: "We pride ourselves on providing a high quality management and maintenance service and work hard to rectify any problems when they occur.

"The issue regarding the problems at Paterson Street have been investigated as part of our complaints procedure and we have written to Miss Sindall with our judgement.

"Should she wish to she has the right, under our robust complaints policy, to pursue this matter further.

"Maritime operates a nationally recognised complaints policy which aims to safeguard the rights of our residents."