The resident fears her disabilities, combined with the ongoing environmental health issues linked to a neighbouring flat, are leaving her trapped in a home she says is no longer suitable for her needs.
A disabled woman in Sutton says she cannot cope with living in a fly-infested flat after years of chronic pain that she says is not suitable for her disabilities.
The 45-year-old former cleaner says the situation in her flat in St Benet’s Grove, near St Helier, has only been made worse by an ongoing fly infestation, vermin, and other environmental health concerns. She suffers from spinal problems, including bulging discs, meaning the 14 steps up to her first-floor flat can take her 40 minutes to climb.
She claims that she has repeatedly asked to move or be given further disability adaptations, but says her requests have gone unanswered by her social housing provider, and that her health is deteriorating as a result.
During a visit to her flat, she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) how her problems escalated around a year ago. She claims rubbish has been allowed to build up and animals have been allowed to urinate in communal areas, amongst other issues.
She recalled returning home one day to find “thousands of flies” coming out of her letterbox, while hundreds more covered her windows. A subsequent mouse infestation forced her to throw out her ruined clothes and household items, filling 65 black bin bags.
The resident says multiple agencies, including the council, police, RSPCA and social workers, eventually became involved in the issues affecting the building. Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP), her housing provider, paid for a large-scale two-day clearance after the council secured a court order to remove one of her neighbours.
“They got two lorry loads to take around 120 black bags from the neighbour’s,” she said. However, she claims rubbish was left in the garden after the clearance, which then attracted more vermin.
One of the resident’s other neighbours, Roz Chamberlain, has lived on the block for 21 years. She said she’d never experienced conditions like those over the past year. “It was like a dead body”, she recalled when describing the smell of the property when it was being cleared out, “a really bad ammonia smell”.
“I am going through a can of air freshener a week,” she added. Air fresheners had been placed throughout the communal stairwell to try to combat the lingering smell.
Besides these issues, the disabled resident still feels trapped in her flat because it’s on the first floor. When the LDRS visited, she told us she could only do one trip out of the flat that day, because of the stairs. “That’s not living,” she said.
She also says her bathroom is deemed too small for disability adaptations and that she sometimes wets the bed because she cannot reach the toilet quickly enough.
“When will they see what damage living here is doing to me?” she said. “I told them I am not living like this anymore; they know this.”
“I am trying to get a ground-floor flat, if not a first-floor flat with a lift. I am not asking the world, I am just asking to be moved from here, where I have been a model tenant and haven’t had any issues.”
The resident says SHP asked her to provide medical evidence, which she paid £20 to obtain from her GP. Even after the doctor’s report detailing her deteriorating health, she claims little progress has been made by SHP.
She also claimed a housing officer had initially given her hope that a move was being considered, only for it to fade when SHP later asked her to provide further medical evidence.
“SHP are absolutely disgusting, they give you hope and then take it away,” she said.
The resident says she has been told she does not meet the criteria for a move and faces a 10-year waiting list for a Band C property, and has been advised to seek a mutual exchange or private rented accommodation instead.
However, she fears she is effectively trapped, saying private rents are unaffordable and that few, if any, tenants would want to exchange into a flat next to her neighbours.
Local councillor Alison Long (Reform UK) has been supporting the resident, saying she has repeatedly raised the case with SHP without success.
“I just get ignored,” Ms Long said. “You would expect someone like her, with all the evidence she’s got, to be moved. They just give lots of empty promises.”
A spokesperson for SHP said: “We have been working closely with various partners, including Sutton Council, to support the resident.
“We are aware of her health issues and the impact this is having on her mobility and mental health. While the resident is waiting for an update from the NHS on her health, the council is supporting her wellbeing and has provided equipment for her home. The council has also enquired about her need for additional care support, which she declined.
“Like all areas in London, the demand for homes in Sutton is at a record high. Unfortunately, the resident does not currently meet the criteria to be transferred from her current property but we will continue to review this based on medical recommendations.
“We have been working extremely hard to address the issues caused by neighbouring properties. This has included regular site visits, deep cleaning, and tidying of communal areas including the garden. Regular meetings also take place to update residents.
“We really do hope the resident’s health issues are resolved soon and in the meantime we will continue to support her and her neighbours.”
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