An Alexandria pensioner says that persistent damp problems at two properties in the area which have led to severe health problems has said that he is "very angry" at the treatment he has been given by West Dunbartonshire Council.

Ray Ross, 67, says that persistent issues with dampness and condensation at two properties in the area - Bontine Avenue and his current address in McColl Avenue - have led to visits to hospitals, as well as causing what he estimates as thousands of pounds worth of damage to carpets and special clothing he wears as a piper, including a £100 bill for special ghillie brogues which were destroyed by mould.

Mr Ross claims that the severe asthma caused by his living conditions feels "like an elephant sitting on my chest" and that previous advice offered by the council to remedy the problem was a "load of rubbish".

He said: "The last time the council came, they told me to move my wardrobes away from external walls to stop the damage to my things, which is just ignorant. They take us for idiots as I used to work in the building trade and I can tell you that it's bad management just to tell you to move wardrobes around."

He says that at his current address, neighbours have reported problems with dampness over eighteen years, with previous tenants being moved out of the properties due to health concerns over the impact of the conditions.

"I've had enough of it all to be honest. The damp causes me to have a snivelling nose and to sneeze all of the time and my doctor told me to turn the heating up, but within twenty minutes of switching the heat on, the place starts to smell really badly.

"Also, the spores caused by the condensation contaminate the carpet and you're told not to clean them but get rid when that happens, which is a big cost to bear."

Mr Ross provided a copy of a letter he sent to local councillor Martin Rooney on April 24 about the problems at the property but said he had not received any formal response from the council to his concerns.