A FAMILY fear their brand new £35,000 extension could already be ruined after they were sold foul smelling paint by a DIY superstore.

Jenny Ballard has shelled out for the new groundfloor area of her living room at her house in Ipswich Road, Colchester, with the intention of creating a long-awaited games room for her two children.

But she now fears she had been sold faulty Valspar paint from B&Q.

The DIY giants were forced to compensate customers last year when the product began to smell of ammonia once it had dried and was exposed to heat.

The production company said the issue had been fixed by re-adding an additive which had been removed from the formula.

But Mrs Ballard believes she was sold a faulty batch went into the store in Lightship Way, Colchester.

The family began to smell something was wrong by the end of the week.

She said: “I wanted a white paint but something which is durable and that I would be able to scrub because I know children and white don’t mix.

“This was advertised as something which would clean easily and I could get stains out of.

“As I wanted white I did not need it mixed so picked up pots worth around £80.

“The builders put it up the next day and a few days later we started to notice the smell when it had dried out.

“It smelt strongly of urine but it comes and goes but when it comes it is really bad.”

Mrs Ballard bought a dehumidifier to try to get rid of the stench and even suspected one of her pet dogs had messed themselves when she was trying to find the source of the problem.

But she began to realise it was the paint when she cleaning the inside of the windows of her new extension and researched the paint she had bought.

Articles appeared saying B&Q and Valspar had experienced the problem.

The 36-year-old added: “I went to the store and they put me on the phone to Valspar and said I need to email them pictures with the batch numbers.

“I’m extremely angry.

“There is advice online about using a paint remover but there are mixed reviews about how well it works.

“It is quite expensive but some people were saying it doesn’t work and the smell is still there.

“It might be the walls now need completely replastering.”

Catering manager Mrs Ballard said the open plan nature of the extension has left them without use of their entire downstairs.

“We are now having to sit upstairs in the evenings,” she said.

“The smell has spread everywhere downstairs.

“It is bad for the children and the dogs as well.

“We have worked so hard to pay for it - me and my husband work hard for our money.”

A spokesman for B&Q said:  “In very exceptional circumstances, paint may emit an unpleasant odour when used on walls that are particularly porous, and where the wall is exposed to excessive heat or direct sunlight. This is an issue known within the global paint industry.

"We are in contact with Mrs Ballard and we are investigating her issue.

"We are committed to resolving any concerns customers may have.

"When a customer contacts Valspar’s Call Centre, we provide advice on how to neutralise the odour and request additional details so that an offer of compensation can be made by Valspar within 48 hours.

"If any customer has a concern they should contact B&Q Customer Services on 0333 014 3098.”