Eastfields estate residents say problems still persist despite widespread media coverage

Residents on an estate are still plagued by rodent infestations, leaks and delayed repairs a year after shocking conditions in the block were exposed.

The Eastfields estate is one of three across Merton which is due to be knocked down and regenerated.

In 2010 Merton council transferred all of its housing stock to what is now the Clarion Housing Group.

Those living on the 46- home Eastfields estate say Clarion only started to improve conditions after shocking stories of the conditions were exposed in June 2021.

Albert Dequo, who has just returned to the estate from university, lives in a flat with his mum and two siblings.

The 23-year-old said: “I think Clarion are terrible, they only act when their necks are on the line. I don’t think anything would have changed if that story hadn’t been published. We’ve been asking for years for change and they kept on moving it back.”

He said while Clarion had done some works, there are still mice in the block.

Other residents said a leak pouring outside from first floor overflow pipes had been a problem for the past four years.

Rodents are a problem for Charlotte Bingham, too, who said more than 150 mice have been caught in her flat in the past year-and-a-half.

She said: “They have come and put bait boxes and say they need to take the kitchen out and fill the gaps, but they haven’t done it yet. It is my biggest fear so I don’t really go in the kitchen.”

The 30-year-old said at one point the hot water and heating went off in the flat for nine months due to a leak. During this time she would have to go over to her mum’s house for a hot shower.

Merton Council and the social housing regulator allowed a waiver of the decent homes standard.

At a Merton council meeting this week, cabinet member for housing Andrew Judge said: “We are seeking not the decent homes standards but a much higher standard in Eastfields and the other estates belonging to Clarion which are subject to regeneration.

“If we sought to reapply the decent homes standard we couldn’t continue with the regeneration and residents would be left in the hopeless system-built homes that were put up some time ago and are now frankly out of date and are failing residents.

“That doesn’t take away from the fact that Clarion need to do what they can morally to actually maintain their properties to a good standard and it is clear that was not the case in the recent past.”

Clarion Housing Group has been contacted for comment.

A spokesperson for Clarion Housing Group said it has invested £2.3million in maintaining existing properties, including “major upgrades” to the roofs. The first phase of regeneration work is set to begin in 2023 after planning permission was granted in April .

They added: “In the meantime we continue to invest in homes on the Eastfields Estate which includes major upgrades to the roofs across the estate, communal decorations, and kitchen and bathroom upgrades. The ongoing comprehensive roof works, will help to prevent future leaks and associated damp.

“Our dedicated staff have been able to increase the speed at which both communal and individual repairs are completed and since June 2021, we have completed 1,678 repairs at Eastfields. In addition, we have continued to deliver an enhanced pest control service, which gives all residents the ability to call our contractor directly to raise any issues and book an operative to investigate and carry out further treatments.”

Pictured top: Eastfields Estate in Mitcham (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)