Parents unable to wash baby girl for a year in council home

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A couple have not been able to wash their baby girl in the bath for more than a year as the council failed to fix a drainage problem.

Richard Smith lives in Plumstead, Greenwich, with his partner, Millie Brown, and their one-year-old daughter, Luna.

Until earlier this month, the couple were unable to wash Luna in their flat as the water in their bath wasn’t draining.

Mr Smith said: “If my partner had a shower in the morning, then most of the water would still be there by the evening.”

The dad has lived in the flat since 2010 and noticed corrosion on the pipes for the toilet and bath since moving in.

Mr Smith said: “Pretty much from the time that I’ve moved in, it’s never drained properly. It’s always taken a long time to drain.”

Shortly after the kitchen for the flat was updated in 2016, Mr Smith said that a contractor came to plan the revamp for the bathroom, but that nothing ever came from it.

Millie said the issues had made it difficult for the couple to look after both Luna and themselves.

She said: “You have to put your baby first, but make sure that you’re functioning, and it’s very hard to do that when you haven’t got a house that’s functioning.”

While the drainage in their flat was an issue, the couple had to take Luna to Mr Smith’s parents’ house to wash.

A Greenwich council spokeswoman said: “Ms Brown expressed her concerns regarding her bathroom via social media on November 3, 2022.

“We called her the same day to discuss her situation and a repair was subsequently raised for the slow running drainage. Plumbers attended the property on November 5 and unblocked the waste trap in the bathroom.

“We accept that the bathroom requires updating and Ms Brown’s property is on a capital programme for a bathroom renewal in the next financial year.”

Pictured top: Richard Smith with his daughter Luna in the bathroom of their Plumstead flat (Picture: Joe Coughlan)