Disabled woman's three years of housing 'hell'

A disabled woman from south-east London says she has been "through hell" having been unable to move into the specially adapted ground floor flat she was given three years ago because it is unsafe and unliveable.

Deborah Morgan, who regularly uses a wheelchair, told BBC London the flat in Woolwich had no heating or hot water, was infested with worms and had broken windows, a faulty intercom system and wires hanging out of the light sockets.

She says the impact on her health has been "huge" and "at some stages, I felt suicidal".

Housing association L&Q, which provided Ms Morgan with the home, apologised for the delays and said it was working to resolve the issue "urgently".

Ms Morgan was given the flat after she became unwell and was unable to stay in the fourth floor property she had lived in for 30 years.

But after moving her belongings in, she discovered problems and was advised to stay in her previous Greenwich Council home until the work had been completed.

That was three years ago and she says L&Q still has not fixed all the problems in the flat.

She describes the place as her "ghost home, it is fully furnished with no resident".

"It's been three years of being walked up a path and three years of hell and nothing being done," says Ms Morgan.

Among the problems Ms Morgan found when she first moved in was an infestation of worms in the kitchen.

She says she does not know where they come from but they have always been there.

She adds she finds it "heartbreaking" to visit the flat because she never knows what else she is going to find.

Ms Morgan says Royal Borough Greenwich told her it could no longer provide her with support as she is now under the care of the housing association but with no progress on the situation with L&Q, she feels like she has been "left in the middle of hell".

"I'm frightened of the future," she says.

"Truthfully with my health, this (flat) is what I needed, where I am now is not sufficient.

"I don't know where I'm going next, I don't know where I'm going to live, at the moment I actually feel homeless."

David Lewis, executive director of property services at L&Q, said: "We are aware Ms Morgan has been unable to move in to her new home and apologise for the delays in getting works completed.

"We are keen to progress these so that she can move in."

He said L&Q required permission to access her flat to complete the repairs and encouraged her to help make arrangements with the contractors.

"We’ve also suggested she seek further medical advice to determine if the property fully meets her needs or if she might require a different, more suitable home," said Mr Lewis.

"We are working closely with the local authority to make sure that Ms Morgan receives the support she needs. We appreciate Ms Morgan’s patience and will continue to work with her to resolve this urgently.’’

Royal Borough Greenwich has been approached by the BBC for comment.

Last week, London Councils, the group that represents all local authorities in the capital, released figures on how much is being spent on temporary accommodation.

It showed that councils were spending £4m a day on housing more than 180,000 people.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]