Mould, leaks and collapsing roofs: Inside Britain’s ‘best council estate’

15 November 2024, 06:00 | Updated: 15 November 2024, 08:04

Lillington Gardens in Pimlico has won multiple awards for its design and desirable location in central London - but behind the flat doors, residents have told LBC they’re living in a nightmare.

In one home, the ceiling has collapsed multiple times while other blocks claim to have seen problems with raw sewage and boiling water leaks.

Persistent black mould has also caused major issues for some families and London Fire Brigade has confirmed to LBC that they too have raised concerns with the local authority about safety issues.

The estate, which was built in the 1960s and 70s, is now a mix of social and private housing with the low-rise blocks owned by Westminster City Council.

Andie, who lives in Charlwood House, showed us her flat, where she lives with her three children - two of them are disabled.

A ‘happy birthday’ banner hung in the living room, next to a mattress which was propped up against the wall alongside dozens of cardboard boxes.

“The ceiling’s collapsed in here at least six times,” she explained, “and the last one we had was in March so that’s why everything is such a mess.

“It keeps happening - it starts with a leak and then it spreads and the ceiling comes down. They send someone to repaint and put it back up and then it happens again.”

Andie went on to say: “It was my son’s 16th birthday last week and we would normally have his friends over but although we have a home - we’re basically homeless. We tried to celebrate but it’s difficult.”

Showing us around some of the other rooms in the flat, Andie pointed out large spots of mould, which she described as being persistent; in her bathroom, behind her drawers and above her children’s beds.

“My son is off school sick every five minutes because the mould is really bad in their bedroom,” she said.

“We’re all on inhalers now and as fast as I clean it, it comes back.” But the real anguish came as we spoke about the possibility of a major fire in the block.

Andie said: “If there’s a fire in here and we can’t go down the stairs we have to go through my next door neighbour’s house. And if he’s not home, well… we have nowhere to go.

“My disabled son, I don’t know how he’d get out. When I asked for advice, they just told me I’ve to stand on the balcony and scream.”

As we left Charlwood House, Andie - who had become visibly upset - asked us, “What has to happen for them to recognise that the flat is not habitable? It’s like what are you waiting for? For someone in here to die?”

Westminster Council said the stairs in Andie’s neighbour’s flat aren’t listed as an escape route in the event of a fire and that the block follows a ‘stay put’ policy, rather than simultaneous evacuation.

In the hours that followed LBC asking the council about this, we understand representatives from the local authority visited Andie to assure her of the protocols in place.

Lillington Gardens has won awards for its innovative design over the years and was named one of Britain’s ‘best council estates’ by The Guardian in 2013.

Walking through the shared gardens, Ernest Strafford from the Residents’ Association described the community as being “amazingly diverse” and “always looking out for each other” as we made our way towards the community centre on the ground floor of Morgan House.

Ernest explained that just weeks ago, a boiling water leak in the flats above had collapsed the roof and flooded the building.

“It was steaming, boiling hot water pouring through here, flooding the toilets and the floor we’re standing on.

“It’s been two weeks and nothing’s been done about it in here, the whole ceiling came down and there’s still dangling electricity cables.

“It was chaos, we had contractors arriving not knowing where the valves were, and the fire brigade, it just felt chaotic rather than managed.

“We had residents walking through homes where there was water and electricity and didn’t know if it had been switched off or not, nobody was taking control of the situation.”

London Fire Brigade confirmed they had attended the estate on 22 October saying it’s believed to have been caused by a burst of the hot water supply.

They said: “Firefighters assessed the scene before leaving the incident in the care of the responsible person.”

The council said it was waiting for the area to dry before it carried out scheduled repairs.

Ernest explained that firefighters had also complained to residents about being called to the estate too often, mostly because of automatic fire alarms going off.

LBC understands they've attended at least 40 callouts this year, including for floods, collapsed ceilings, people being stuck in lifts and the smell of gas.

Below the community centre, an underground car park also revealed the extent of concerns about raw sewage leaks.

The smell was pungent and as we passed dozens of spaces, secured with metal cages - some storing cars, others looked to have been used as living spaces - the smell got worse.

Approaching the back of the car park, noses held, we saw a leak from above had formed a large puddle of stagnant water and had left the ceiling eroded. The beams supporting multiple floors above were exposed.

The council claims a previous leak into the car park had been resolved with further cleaning having since taken place.

Councillor Liza Begum, Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for housing services also told LBC: “We know that there is a recurring issue with leaks across the estate that is causing disruption for residents. 

“This is due to an ageing communal hot water and heating system that needs to be replaced and we're working towards finding a more efficient, reliable and sustainable option. 

Earlier this week, it was reported that the work could cost flat owners between £40,000 and £66,000 each.

Ms Begum added: “We work hard to address all problems raised as quickly as possible and we are engaging with residents in the community to come to a long-term solution.”