Inside 'animal cage' flats where residents live with bedbugs and cockroaches
Life in an 'animal cage' block of flats is a daily battle against bedbug and cockroach infestations, residents have said.
People housed in the apartments in East London have told of overcrowded conditions, with families crammed into small spaces and fighting off pests on all fronts. Sonia Augusteen, who shares a two-bed flat with her husband and two sons, has to wash the family's bedding every two to three days in an attempt to keep the bedbugs at bay. Despite her best efforts, she laments that "nothing is helping".
The situation is taking a toll on her children, aged 14 and six, who are suffering from sleep deprivation due to the incessant biting and itching caused by the bedbugs. Mrs Augusteen said: "They're not sleeping very well. They won't wake up in the morning because when the lights are off, the bedbugs are biting them and all night they are just itching so they can't sleep peacefully."
Sabbir Ripon, a father residing in a cramped one-bedroom flat, likened his family's living conditions to that of an 'animal cage' (Facundo Arrizabalaga)The entire Stratford block is used as temporary accommodation by Newham Council to house homeless families, reports My London. However, residents argue there's nothing "temporary" about their situation, with some having lived there for nearly four years. Overcrowding is another severe issue plaguing the residents. In one instance, a family of four is forced to share a single room, with two members sleeping on the bed and the remaining two on the floor, their only comfort a thin mattress.
For mum-of-three Giorgia Lannone, it will soon be almost two years since she was first moved into temporary accommodation at the apartments. "It’s dreadful, the thing I hate the most is how the kids have to live like this," Ms Lannone said. "It's literally setting them up for failure. There's no garden, some people let their kids play in the hallway but I don't like that or outside where there are cars, it’s a car park at the end of the day."
London flat for rent for £1,400 a month with bed tucked away in kitchen cupboard
Sabbir Ripon, a father residing in a cramped one-bedroom flat, meanwhile likened his family's living conditions to an "animal cage". He cited the lack of space of the property, and said: "The space here is very small, the children shouldn't live in such conditions. It's like a cage, it's like an animal cage - it's not a liveable property."
Mr Ripon, his wife and their two children found themselves residing in the apartments after being evicted from their four-bedroom home by their private landlord in 2022. The family's search for affordable accommodation proved fruitless, leading to a brief stint in a hostel. However, the appalling conditions forced Mr Ripon to return to the council, pleading for relocation. He said: "We have no idea how long we will be here for. "I don't know how long they are going to keep us here, but as for our neighbours, they have been here for more than three years. I was in a four-bed house, can you imagine? It was private renting, I was paying from my pocket every month." Despite actively bidding on properties each week, Mr Ripon has yet to receive an offer.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spent nearly a month documenting the lives of these families, who reside in a borough known for having the highest number of households in temporary accommodation nationwide. As of June 2023, Newham was home to a staggering 5,900 families living in this type of accommodation. The council has acknowledged the severity of the situation, describing it as a "crisis in temporary accommodation" exacerbated by the pandemic and the escalating cost of living. A report by the organisation shared the stories of just some of these families, all placed in apartments by the council after being priced out of the private rental sector, receiving Section 21 eviction notices, or escaping overcrowded or broken homes.
One resident described the flat complex as 'filthy' (Facundo Arrizabalaga)In yet another predicament, resident Carmen Goss claims she was initially meant to reside at the apartments for a mere 56 days. However, she now finds herself marking her second year in the complex. "I've not heard from anyone, the only time I got a call was one week before my son was born [September 2023]," she said. Ms Goss is determined to eventually move into a council-owned property and is refusing to go down the private rented sector because "when the [landlord] wants the property back, then you're homeless again - I'm not putting myself in that type of situation, I'm not doing it".
She added: "These cockroaches are crazy because they climb, they climb on everything. I was spraying my whole bathroom and kitchen with tea tree and peppermint oil - I was spraying everywhere. They used to get in the fridge, they were everywhere. It was horrible." Carmen also expressed sympathy for the cleaner, who is constantly cleaning up mess and debris left by some in the communal hallways and by the bins. She said: "He comes to vacuum and mop, bless him, but within an hour it gets messy again. How do you control other people?"
Echoing her sentiments, mum-of-five Nakisha Baah described the block as a "filthy place to live in". Sharing the grim reality of her living conditions, she said: "There's lots of bedbugs, roaches and rats - we have an open plan kitchen and the sofa can convert into a bed but with all the mice running around the kids are scared so it's very tight for sleeping...it's a filthy place to live in."
Mice, rats, bedbugs and cockroaches are among the pests reported (Facundo Arrizabalaga)When the LDRS reached out to Newham Council regarding the issues, a spokesperson acknowledged the existence of a "small number" of families that are "exceeding allocated bed spaces". They said: "Newham has over 6,000 households in all forms of temporary accommodation with half of these in nightly paid accommodation. We have seen a 17per cent increase in demand for homelessness services compared with last year, reflecting the housing crisis that is being experienced across London, and particularly acutely within Newham."
On complaints about vermin and pests, they added: "The council is aware of the pest control issue that can occur in multi-occupancy blocks like the apartments and an–in house contractor London Network for Pest Solutions, has been providing a weekly inspection and treatment service at the property since July 2021."
"Their weekly reports indicate the individual flats where pests have been reported and the action they have taken and this is reviewed by the council on a weekly basis." The spokesperson said the council is experiencing access issues with some of the flats "and council officers continue to work with residents to achieve their cooperation so all the flats can be monitored and treated appropriately to overcome the pest issues". They added: "All residents were contacted earlier this month, and have been given the opportunity to discuss any individual issues with the council directly."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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