Family lives in council flat so mouldy that bugs keep falling into their tea
By Jacob Phillips, local democracy reporter
A family are enduring an insect infestation so bad they find insects in their tea and porridge.
Stroke sufferer Amelia and her grandchildren Shanika, 25, and Reece, 29, have been dealing with the pests for five months.
The 83-year-old, who did not want to give her surname, said: “You just get used to it. Sometimes I see flies in my tea. They are everywhere.
“I cannot walk very well. I cannot use the kitchen. It makes me feel helpless.”
The grandmother has lived at the Westminster City Council-run property for 50 years after moving to London from St Lucia in 1959.
Flies and bugs have found their way into flour and food in cupboards. The family suspects they first appeared from rotting kitchen furniture.
A six-inch wide hole has appeared behind the sink and dark mould is visible inside.
The kitchen cabinets have begun to peel away and cupboard doors have been removed.
Now they want the council to step in and fix the issues after repeatedly calling the authority about it.
Shanika said: “It’s been really stressful. She doesn’t go anywhere, she’s stranded. She has a weak immune system – her home is her haven.
“We see bugs in her food. There were flies in her porridge. They will be crawling up the table and into cups. It’s just awful.”
Reece added: “I have been calling weekly. They are still asking what needs to be done when I have already reported the issue.”
Amelia suffered a stroke in November 2020 and struggles to walk from the kitchen to the living room.
The flies are the latest of a number of problems the pensioner has faced in the past three years.
Amelia previously had to contact the council as her living room began to sink and the family also faced a rat infestation earlier this year.
Shanika said: “We would see them running across the kitchen. It was terrible.
“We were seeing mice poo where she had her dishes. That’s disgusting.”
Westminster City Council has been contacted for comment.
Pictured top: Shanika
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