Tower residents say they were not told of flooding

Some residents took a lift to the basement, where they were met with severe flooding

People living in a tower block have said the building's management failed to tell them about a severe flood in its basement car park.

Brooke House in Basildon, Essex, was evacuated after the flooding on 18 July and Basildon Council said it would be "uninhabitable" for three months.

Resident Mutale Daka said her 10-year-old son asked "Mummy, are we going to die?" when water entered the lift while they were in it.

Basildon Council, which owns the building, has apologised to leaseholders for the inconvenience.

Ms Daka was with her 10-year-old son when water started rising to her knees

Ms Daka, a tenant who rents her flat from a private landlord, said she feared she could have died if the floodwater had conducted electricity.

Water flooded into the lift as the doors opened in the basement, and Ms Daka said she and her son waded through to get out.

"It could have been a fatal situation," said the 31-year-old midwife.

The council placed the pair in a hotel in Romford, east London, the same evening.

Brooke House was built between 1960 and 1962, originally to provide accommodation for professionals, such as lawyers and doctors

A spokesperson for the water provider - Essex & Suffolk Water - said it attended the flooding at 06:25 BST.

Firefighters were called to reports of smoke coming from electrics in the car park basement at about 14:00 BST later that day. They advised the building be evacuated.

The water company said it continued pumping the water after the area was made safe, and finished by 21:00 BST.

'Frightening'

Just over an hour after Ms Daka left, another leaseholder also took a lift to the basement, describing the ordeal as "harrowing".

The occupant, who wished to remain anonymous, said the water gushed up to his knees as the lift doors opened.

"I did feel that, at that time, if the door didn't open, one could drown, and I was also very worried about electrics because obviously the lift was working and I thought to myself 'I think my time is up'," they said.

"It was quite frightening."

The Grade II listed Brooke House was built in 1962.

In 2020 it was described as unfit for "human habitation" by the current Labour council leader, Gavin Callaghan, and a "tragedy waiting to happen" by resident Jack Witchelo.

In June 2022, the council approved a £16m project to improve the building, but it needed to be emptied before works to the roof and staircase could begin.

The process to move residents out of their flats started in January 2024 and as recently as last week, Callaghan said the refurbishment project would still go ahead.

A Basildon Council spokesperson said: "We understand this is a challenging time and we are working with relevant agencies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all affected residents."