Last month, The Wee Paper highlighted the case of Wayne Darling, who lives with his partner Pippa and their three small children in a Skarne-type home in Raeburn Meadow.

Mr Darling, 41, was refusing to pay his £60-a-week rent to the Scottish Borders Housing Association over its alleged failure to deal with persistent damp in his house.

Now Mr Darling says he has been "thoroughly vindicated" after 39 neighbours signed a petition saying their SBHA houses are riddled with damp.

Mr Darling told us: "The people who signed the petition live not only in Raeburn Meadow but also in Balnagowan Road, Roberts Avenue and Shawburn Road.

"They all report similar problems with their houses and one mother is particularly concerned about the impact of the damp on her children who have asthma. To suggest they are all responsible because of their lifestyles is ludicrous."

But that is SBHA's line. After local MSP Christine Grahame visited the Darling household last week and called for action, SBHA, which rents out more than 5,000 ex-council houses, released a statement.

"Condensation dampness is fundamentally a lifestyle issue and if the occupant of any house fails to adequately heat and ventilate their home, then condensation often occurs," said the association.

"It is most severe in situations where the household is generating additional atmospheric moisture, for example by drying washing indoors, keeping large animals in enclosed rooms and not covering pots when cooking.

"When combined with a serious lack of ventilation, it is unfortunately the case that condensation is inevitable and is not something SBHA can fix without the tenants themselves making changes in their lifestyle."

Mr Darling said the statement added "insult to injury".

"It's bad enough having to stay in a house with black spots all over the ceiling and walls, mould around all the windows and even damp patches under the carpet, but to be told it's all your fault because of your lifestyle is hard to stomach," he added.

"SBHA are obviously in denial. Most of these houses are well past their best and need major structural work, which would required tenants to be rehoused. This would be expensive and that is why we are stuck in this nightmare."

Ms Grahame agreed the damp was due to design and structure, rather than lifestyle issues.

"That is patently nonsense," she said. "SBHA needs to start improving houses so they are fit for the 21st century and stop blaming everyone else ... their reputation has reached a new low."

SBHA countered: "Our records show we have no outstanding reports of penetrating dampness which have not been remedied or are in the process of being fixed."