Exposed brick work causing damp

[Element4056]

Please help!
The cement in-between the brick gaps have crumbled away and it's causing a great amount of damp inside the closet under the stairs.
Please can anyone advise where I can start in doing this myself. What would be the best way to go about resolving this?
I'm worries I can't just repoint this as the gaps are quite big in some parts.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

The brickwork needs repointing. It’s not something I’d take on myself, but doable I suppose if you’re quite handy. There will be videos on YouTube that will take you through it step by step.

Is it a cavity or a solid wall?

Can you post a larger area photo and include where the ground and wall meet?
Bricks are not supposed to be painted, so my initial advice would be get it all off.
Repointing is easy enough, and covered extensively on YouTube and other forums. Takes a bit of practice.
Back to the damp, that looks like a solid wall bond. Is there any ventilation under the stairs? You could rent / buy a dehumidifier and run it in the closet, or leave the door open/off for a good while (weeks).

So sorry, I have no idea. I have tried goggling this as well and still not sure 😯

Thank you for the helpful comments- the paint quite easily peels off, so I think you are right in I should just get it all off as I suspect there are lots more bricks needing repointing underneath.
There are holes underneath the stairs I think on the external bricks which I assume is the ventilation?
I will post pics of the larger area where the ground and wall meet. Sorry for the poor quality photos, I've tried using a torch to get a better picture.

What’s the age of the property?
Pre 1900 ish it’s likely to be lime mortar and not cement. I believe it’s recommended you replace like for like; ie don’t use cement mortar if was originally lime as you can cause brick damage and, incidentally, damp problems too.

It's a 1930s end of terrace house. This is the external wall adjacent to our under the stairs closet which has caused quite a bit of damp inside.
I've found a company called Conserv who do NHL 3.5 line mortar. I'm thinking I will order this and have my husband who is better at DIY to have a go at this.
Can anyone advise if we should use render to cover across the bricks once we have repointed?

I would agree it’s more likely to be the paint causing the damp issue as the bricks can’t breathe, although the big gaps won’t be helping.

NHL lime sets hard like cement, you need to use quick or putty lime based products.

This is the definitive book on using lime in older buildings:

www.blackdogpress.co.uk/product/lime-in-building-a-practical-guide-by-jane-schofield

You can tint the lime mortar to match the bricks if you choose not to render them.

Would something like this be better? Thank you for the advice. Will start afresh looking for putty based lime.

That's useful to know thank you!

You'd need to mix it with a suitable sand.

Depending where you are in the country there will be a lime supplier who can advise on suitable mixes (eg Cornish Lime in Cornwall, Mike Wye in Devon, Carrington Lime in Gloucestershire) and many of these run lime courses. It's too cold right now for working outside with lime so you have some time to research and prep!

Ah thank you. I didn't realise the weather would be unsuitable. I'm based in the West Midlands.
Do all lime mortars need mixing with sand or can some be mixed with water instead? Sorry, I'm a complete novice.

Best thing would be to buy Jane's book as it really is the best intro to lime.

Make sure you wear goggles when working with lime as it is really dangerous to eyes and can cause permanent damage.

Gloves too.