Council housing: 'You become the mould, the stench and the nastiness'

A vulnerable man whose council flat is rotting from the inside out has spoken about his "hellish" living conditions.

The tenant, who does not want to be identified, has physical and mental health conditions.

The 55-year-old told the BBC he felt ashamed and isolated and the conditions made him "not want to be alive".

He said he had contacted Hackney Council "over and over and over" but nothing had been done to help him. The council said it was investigating.

The tenant sought legal advice after complaining for two years about a pipe leak, which has in turn damaged walls, floors and furniture. He has since been moved to temporary accommodation.

The flat, on Wimbourne Street in Hoxton, east London, has no heating or hot water and the kitchen floor has been under three inches of dirty water because of the leak.

The tenant, who shares his home with his elderly carer and a cat, said: "You feel excluded from society and you feel that you're not you. You're definitely not a part of the real world outside. That's the first thing - you feel all alone.

"It's like living in hell. Like I didn't want to be alive. And there's the disgrace and there's the shame as well."

He added: "You get up, there's flies flying around, there's insects all over you. There's a stench, your body is filthy, you stink. You know you smell. When you do venture outside everybody looks at you - and you know why.

"You know why, when you go to the chemist's to get medication and the pharmacy is telling you 'please stay outside the shop. We can't give you the medication in the shop because you'll offend the other customers.'

"It's the horror; it's like living in there with that, you've become part of it. You've become part of the horror, of what you're horrified of, you've become the mould. The mould and the stink and the stench and the dirt and the nastiness. You become that. When you walk on the street, you believe that's exactly what you are.

"You can't look people in the face in case they see what you know. It's like this guilty secret."

Experts hired by the tenant's lawyers have found that all floors are saturated, mould has spread to every room, the toilet is broken and the woodwork has rotted because of the damp.

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: "We are very sorry that this resident has been living in conditions like these.

"We have supported him to move into temporary accommodation, and are working with him and his carer to assess whether he needs more support.

"We are investigating how this property came into such disrepair."

Wenlock Barn Tenant Management Organisation, which manages the property, has been contacted for comment.