1979: Living With Damp | Grapevine | Scotland on Film | BBC Archive

"How would you like your kids to stay here?"

Ian Breach reports on the problem of damp council housing in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In the Hutchesontown area of inner city Glasgow, many of the modern council flats - erected in the 60s and 70s to replace the old Gorbals tenement blocks - are already riddled with damp. Ian talks to Hutchesontown residents about the challenges of living in such inhospitable conditions. The problem of damp is so severe that residents are gathering together to form "Anti-Damp" groups. Ian speaks to Willie Roxburgh, chairman of the Gorbals Anti-Damp group, about the group's battle with the authorities, and to Tory Councillor Iain Dyer, who explains why the flats were built the way they are - in a manner suited to much drier climates.

The West Pilton estate in Edinburgh is home to many equally damp and dilapidated council houses - Edinburgh Council has accepted responsibility for nearly 12,000 damp homes. Ian speaks to members of the Pilton Anti-Damp group about the challenges facing their campaign.

Clip taken from Grapevine, originally broadcast on CHANNEL HERE, 5 May, 1979.

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