Scream! Janet Jackson goes to war with landlord over black mould in her £10million Chelsea flat

Janet Jackson is at war with the bosses of London's opulent Chelsea Barracks development after she claimed to have found black mould in her £10 million penthouse apartment.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the American superstar – who made headlines with her 'wardrobe malfunction' at the Superbowl in 2004 – was said to be so upset at finding the fungus that she has moved out.

The singer is now taking legal action against the firm, who in turn are said to be furious at her for leaving before her tenancy agreement ended.

Meanwhile, this newspaper has been told that they have hit back at her and are now considering taking legal action to recoup lost rental income.

At source at the Chelsea Barracks, which was renovated into luxury living quarters in 2015 in a deal reportedly worth £3 billion, said: 'Janet is suing the owners for the mould and they are threatening to counter-sue her now.

'They are cross that she has given the keys back to her apartment with immediate effect and not giving them notice of her leaving. It has turned into a really big deal, a really big fall-out. Janet has a young son who lives with her and she doesn't want to be there any more so she has gone.

'The problem for the owners is that the rent is around £20,000 per month so we are not talking pennies here. It's a mess, it's a classic case of one thinks the other is wrong, and vice versa.'

Ms Jackson, 58, is understood to have lived in the luxurious development, where properties can cost up to £55 million, for several years.

The star – the youngest sister of late singer Michael Jackson – resides there with her seven-year-old son by her ex-husband, Wissam Al Mana. Sources say that she is now considering returning to live in her native America.

However, she will begin the sold-out British dates of her world tour on Friday when she appears at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. She will then do two nights at London's O2 Arena before going to Manchester and Glasgow.

Chelsea Barracks, in the City of Westminster between the districts of Belgravia, Chelsea and Pimlico on Chelsea Bridge Road, was built in the 1860s to house two battalions of troops.

In 2005 the then Defence Secretary John Reid announced that it would be sold, saying that it needed extensive renovations. The site was vacated in 2008 with the troops transferred to the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich.

A proposed scheme for the ­barracks site was submitted to Westminster Council but the King, then the Prince of Wales, criticised it, describing it as a 'gigantic ­experiment with the very soul of our capital city.'

Charles argued that it should be scrapped in favour of something more 'old-fashioned'. But a High Court judge said his opposition was 'unexpected and unwelcome'.

Chelsea Barracks now boasts 68 apartments across three eight-­storey blocks as well as five ­garden squares and shops.

Ms Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction' happened during the half-time show at the US Superbowl in 2004 when Justin Timberlake appeared to accidentally expose her breast during their performance together.