Residents of a block of flats in West London have expressed their embarrassment at having guests visit due to ongoing fly-tipping and people urinating and defecating near their homes.
Residents Speak Out
Susan and Elaine, who live in Felix Court in Yiewsley, say that problems around their block, including a rat infestation, have escalated in recent years. Susan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’ve lived here about 12 years, it’s definitely got worse in the last year – it’s just a dump, we live in rat city.”
She added: “We pay the rent and the service charge, but it continues to go up. We can’t even open our windows on a hot day because of the flies. I’m worried about rats scaling the walls.”
Management and Complaints
The block is managed by Home Group, a prominent housing association and social enterprise that provides social homes, builds new residential hubs, and offers medical and social support across Scotland and England. However, residents feel that Felix Court represents a failure of basic housing principles.
According to Susan, complaints have been ignored, with photos showing frequent rubbish dumping outside doors over the past 18 months. Repeated fly-tipping on the road outside the main entrance has led to rats and swarms of flies. She said: “I think people are more comfortable dumping now, they don’t care about the people who live here. What’s most alarming is that Home Group doesn’t care.”
She reported the issues to Hillingdon Council but received no response. “You get nowhere, I’ve tried to contact them online and I get no reply. I get the impression they don’t want to deal with the rubbish,” she added.
Drug Use and Unsanitary Conditions
Elaine described instances of people using drugs in the unlocked bin store and defecating and urinating outside the block. In one incident, a delivery driver urinated while walking past residents, despite public toilets being nearby.
Elaine said: “It’s like a slum, it is a slum. I try not to have visitors, it’s embarrassing. Sometimes when I sit at the bus stop I cringe and think ‘God… I live there’… and Home Group don’t seem to want to listen, it’s like water off a duck’s back.” She added: “We are like prisoners in our own homes because we don’t feel safe out here. I don’t come out here at night anymore.”
Home Group Responds
Following inquiries, Home Group stated that issues including rubbish and CCTV are being resolved. Sonia Gayle, Operations Manager at Home Group South, said: “We must apologise for the delay in getting these issues resolved. We have had problems in recruiting a new housing manager in this area and because of that, things have slipped, which we know is not acceptable. I’m pleased to say we have now recruited a new housing manager and they were at Felix Court on Tuesday to carry out a full inspection and book the relevant work to resolve the issues.
“We will have the rubbish cleared today. We are also looking at securing the bin store area. The issue of rubbish and pests is compounded by the fact that a lot of high street retailers dump rubbish, without a thought for people living in the area. We are also dealing with the CCTV issue, as well as looking to further secure the communal entry area. If there are remaining issues once we have resolved the ones highlighted I would urge customers to get in touch with us.”
Hillingdon Council was contacted for comment.
