Leytonstone mother's seven-year wait for council to repair leak

The wall has been damp for seven years with the leak thought to be from a neighbour's bathroom

A mother living in a council flat in Leytonstone's Fred Wigg Tower has been waiting for the council to repair a leak for seven years.

The hallway of Farzana Begum's east London flat has been damp since 2016 when she moved in.

Safety concerns about electric shocks from wiring in the wall led to a fire alarm and lights being disconnected two years ago, she said.

Waltham Forest Council has apologised for the delay.

The local authority recently set up a damp and mould "taskforce" in response to a coroner's finding that Rochdale toddler Awaab Ishak died from a fatal respiratory condition linked to long-term mould.

Front door taped up

Mother-of-two Ms Begum told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that after the leak appeared to stop in 2018, the council's repair contractor Morgan Sindall re-plastered her wall, but the damp soon came back, causing peeling paint, mould and limescale to build up.

The damp has also damaged the frame around Ms Begum's fireproof front door which must now be held in place with masking tape.

She said she now feared it was affecting her daughter's breathing.

Residents have said the council is breaching its tenancy contract

Ms Begum said the leaks appeared to be coming from her neighbour's bathroom and she had complained repeatedly over several years.

"We wake up in the morning and have to walk straight past this. I don't think anyone should be living like this - it's not fair - they said they will do something and take pictures and then nothing happens."

Sonia Mckenzie, who also lives in the block, said the situation could have been dealt with "years ago".

She said: "It shouldn't have taken this long. The question is, if nothing is being actually done, what are they getting paid for? To me, it's a breach of the council's tenancy contract because it's poor service."

A contractor re-plastered the wall after the leak appeared to stop but it returned

The council's deputy leader Ahsan Khan said: "We apologise to the resident for the delay in resolving this issue.

"We have arranged for an urgent visit by a council officer to visit her home to assess the situation, and we will also be working with our contractors to find out why this issue was not fixed earlier."