Young mum left without electricity for week after leak in temporary accommodation

A young mother says her child’s safety has been put at risk after she was left with no electricity for more than a week due to a leaking ceiling.

Sophie Nolan, 21, was moved into temporary accommodation in a four floor block of flats managed by Southwark council near Burgess Park in 2023. 

On March 11, a leak broke through her ceiling from the flat above, causing water to pour over her furniture.

She said: “Someone from the council came and said it was dangerous to use the lights because of the leak. He gave me a torch to use instead.”

Ms Nolan said the issue posed a risk to her two-year-old daughter’s safety, and has been sofa surfing since the leak began.

She said: “It’s unsafe, my daughter gets up in the night sometimes and she’ll be walking around in the dark with this leak.

“The council keeps saying they will send someone but cancel, now it’s been more than a week.”

This is not the first time Ms Nolan has experienced issues in her temporary accommodation, having previously complained about damp, mould and cockroach infestations.

Last year, Ms Nolan could not turn the heating off in her flat causing her and her daughter to sustain soaring temperatures during the summer months. 

She said: “The building has a communal heating system and it didn’t turn off all summer. I was calling them up but it took weeks.

“It got so hot my wallpaper started peeling off.

“It’s just problem after problem and it feels like they don’t care.”

Councillor Sarah King, cabinet member for council homes, said the authority is “urgently” looking into Ms Nolan’s housing repairs issues to resolve them.

Pictured top: The lighting in Sophie Nolan’s flat has been dismantled for safety due to the leak, Sophie Nolan (Picture: Sophie Nolan)