More than 40 homes on a south London council estate have endured nearly a month without heating or hot water. Pregnant, elderly and disabled residents are among the dozens of people on the Scovell Estate in Borough, Southwark, who have been forced to boil kettles to wash themselves or find alternative places to shower. Others have resorted to visiting a local leisure centre in Elephant and Castle to use the public shower facilities.
Leak in underground pipework
The loss of heating and hot water, which has impacted social housing residents since about September 18, was caused by a leak in the underground pipework system.
Zara Rowley, who was heavily pregnant during the hot water outage and has since had a baby, said she was “afraid” to bring her new arrival home in case she falls ill from having no hot water and heating. She has decided to remain with her parents in Southend, Essex, with the baby instead.
Council apologises and promises repairs
Reginald Popoola, Southwark Council’s executive member for council homes, said repairs to the underground leak affecting the remaining 42 homes are expected to be completed by Wednesday, barring any “unforeseen issues”.
Mr Popoola, a Green councillor, said: “We apologise to residents affected by the disruption and recognise the significant inconvenience it has caused. Heating and hot water is now back for the majority of the estate. We will continue to support affected residents and keep them updated on the progress. Once repairs are complete, we will provide information about compensation for residents impacted.”
Residents struggle with alternatives
Residents have been told by the council they can use the shower and washing facilities at The Castle Leisure Centre in Elephant and Castle. But some have said they do not feel comfortable using public showers or would struggle to physically make the journey because of their old age or disability.
Tony Christofi, an estate resident who lives with a heart problem, rheumatoid arthritis and trapped nerves in his spine, said it would be “impossible” for him to wash at the leisure centre because of his health conditions. He said: “I struggle to walk and I get breathless very easily.”
The council is understood to be installing hot water cylinders and immersion heaters into the homes of residents who require them.
The local authority, run by a Green and Liberal Democrat coalition, has come in for criticism from affected residents over what they have claimed is a lack of communication over the work to repair the hot water and heating issues.
Trina Jackson, a mum of two with a history of health problems, said updates had been “vague, with no clear resolution date”. She added: “There appears to be very little visible work taking place, which adds to residents’ anxiety and creates the impression that insufficient urgency is being given to the problem.”
Mrs Jackson said the situation had disrupted the lives of her family. “I have had to shower at work, my sons’ have been travelling to family members’ homes to wash before heading back out into the cold, and my husband has been using gym facilities,” she said. “Before [the offer to shower at The Castle Leisure Centre], the council had provided no comparable alternative for a considerable period. Having to heat water manually to wash is adding considerable time to our mornings, potentially making my children late for school and me late for work.”
Residents said their electricity bills have increased since having to boil hot water and being presented with oil heaters to temporarily heat their homes.
Nely Gonzalez, an affected resident, said: “People should not be put in a position where they have to choose between having hot water and accepting a potentially much higher electricity bill. Residents should not be left to carry the financial and practical consequences of delays in works that need to be dealt with by the council.”
The council has confirmed it will be processing outage compensation for affected residents once repairs are complete and services have been restored.
