Residents in south London flat blocks say they are 'living in hell' amid bug infestation

Abena Kodom-Nymekye, 50, who has lived in Eliot Court for 18 years, also felt she had been constantly fighting pests without the council permanently resolving the issues.

Ms Kodom-Nymekye said: “It’s terrible and the funny thing is you don’t get help from no-one, so literally you have to fight it and you don’t know where it’s coming from… sometimes you see them crawling on the walls, you don’t know where they’re coming from, so it’s a constant battle.”

The resident told the LDRS she felt the building should be rebuilt due to the state it was in. She said: “If you’ve really studied the building, you can see it’s falling apart. It’s so soaked, like paint and everything ripping off, because there’s so much water in the building, so the ideal thing is to redo everything. But it’s just patch and go, patch and go, which is not solving anything.”

A petition to the council in 2022 urged it to take “immediate action to eradicate a chronic and long-standing pest infestation in Eliot and Wentworth Courts and find a long-term and permanent solution to this recurring problem”. A similar petition was presented to the authority in 2018.

The LDRS also spoke to residents from the top to bottom floors of Edwyn and Albon House, on Neville Gill Close, behind Wentworth and Eliot Court, with nearly all tenants reporting an ant infestation. They said ants crawled everywhere and would come out in greater numbers when they were cooking.

One mum, who wished to remain anonymous, moved into Edwyn House 16 years ago and said there were ants all over her flat, despite constantly cleaning them away. She described living in the block as “difficult, always cleaning, moving things around to get rid of the ants and then there are just more and more and more, [I] don’t know where they come from”.

The mum added: “It’s like torture because I have to check my children before they walk outside to make sure that they haven’t got ants on their clothes, and stuff like that, because they’re everywhere. If you pack things up in a bag and tie it, they’re still there. My daughter cries about it all the time and she’s 20.”

From people who had recently moved in to long-term residents, tenants in Albon House also reported ant infestations. “I noticed they’re coming from the kitchen, from the skirting boards, because we have tiny holes and they are coming from there,” said Fady Abdalla, 28, who only moved into his flat in February.

He said: “I think it’s an important problem to sort out because then you get bites and stuff. It’s not nice.”

Eleanor Amissah, 32, noticed ants a month after moving into her flat three years ago. “You have to keep spraying and it’s not really good for the kids,” the mum said. “Nothing works, to be honest with you.”

Usuf Mohammed, 22, said he had lived in the block his whole life, and claimed ants became an issue around five years ago. “Ants are everywhere – the bathroom walls, the kitchen seals, running up and down – literally everywhere,” he said.

Another major issue reported by residents was the 21-storey block’s lifts regularly breaking down. Memuna Amankwa, 52, said she had to sleep in her car in May as the lifts were not working and she is disabled, while she had also been left stranded or had to sleep at friends’ homes due to the issue.

Albon, Edwyn, Knowles and Sudbury House were built as part of the development of Wandsworth Arndale Centre in the 1970s, which was later refurbished to become Southside Shopping Centre, along with Eliot and Wentworth Court.

The council said it is carrying out a £21million fire safety improvement project in Eliot and Wentworth Court, including cladding removal, and hoped to begin works in summer next year.

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson apologised for the ongoing pest issues and said residents should “continue to report any further issues so our pest control teams can attend and take action”.

They added: “We’re sorry that the lift failures at Eliot Court have caused distress particularly for residents with disabilities, mobility challenges, and caring responsibilities. There are two lifts that serve the building, and it is rare that both lifts are unable to be used at the same time.

“They are in the process of being replaced but due to the height of the building, we require approval from the Building Safety Regulator. Once we receive this approval, the work can begin. If any residents require assistance, they can contact the Joint Control Centre (JCC) 24 hours a day and our Estates Services team are on hand around the clock.

“We are embarking on a £21 million fire safety improvement project in the buildings, and a state-of-the-art integrated fire alarm system was installed earlier this year for further safety. These works include cladding removal and will also require approval from the Building Safety Regulator. We are hopeful that this can begin next year.”