Estate tenants left without power for five days slam council’s ‘lack of maintenance’

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents of an apartment block have had to move as far away as Kent, sit in darkness or even sleep at work after their homes suffered a power cut that’s still ongoing five days after it began.

Families in flats in the Lambeth council managed building on Gipsy Hill’s Central Hill estate have been without electricity since late last Thursday night.

While some people have been staying in hotels arranged by the council since Friday, others have remained living in the block or had to find another place to stay themselves.

Toby Warrener, 49, said he’d had to move in with friends in Kent and commute to his massage clinic an hour away in Crystal Palace since the power went out in his home last week.

Mr Warrener, a private tenant, said he’d even slept in his clinic because he can’t return to his flat in the block which has no hot water.

He said: “It was Thursday at midnight the electricity went. By Friday 4pm, I realised no power was coming back on.

“I’ve stayed at friends of my parents’ house in Kent for the last week. I left very early this morning so it took 45 minutes to get in, but when there’s traffic it can take an hour and a half. I work in a clinic in Crystal Palace and the odd night I sleep in the clinic. It’s a strange situation. It’s very unfortunate.”

Mr Warrener said he believed the power cut was caused by a pipe in an empty flat in the block bursting and flooding an electrical cupboard in the building. The council did not answer the question of what caused the loss of electricity.

Mr Warrener added: “I think they’ve been using a builder’s hair dryer to dry it [the cupboard] out. They are trying to keep the door open, but it’s not the time of the year you expect things to dry out.

“I think they [the council] have not really taken responsibility for the block in the first place. It’s no one’s fault other than lack of maintenance and upkeep of the empty flats.”

On Monday evening, Mirianni Mendez, 28, was on the phone to the council trying to find out if it had arranged her a place to spend the night in. She said the council had put her up in a hotel in Brixton on Sunday, but only for a single night.

Wesley Spinola, 22, who also lives in the block had chosen to stay despite the lack of power. His family turned down the council’s offer to rehouse them fearing they’d be put somewhere worse.

He said: “The first two days no one knew what was going on. We only got offered an alternative place two days ago, but we felt it would be worse. It’s s***. I’m showering at a friend’s. You can’t cook. You can’t do anything.”

Councillor Maria Kay, Lambeth’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We have been working hard to support residents impacted by this power cut from the outset. We set up a respite centre, offered alternative accommodation to affected residents and have been pushing the power company to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We are hopeful that power will be restored today.”

Pictured top: Central Hill Estate in Lambeth is left in darkness after a power failure (Picture: Robert Firth)