Residents on a Croydon estate say they are fed up with facing a “sea of sewage” every few months that has even bubbled up through their sinks. Locals living in flats on Watney Road, Purley, say they feel ignored by HomeGroup, the company managing their homes, and often have to wait months for repairs for issues including broken windows and damp.
Alan Church, 71, who has lived in Purley with his wife for 14 years, said: “We’ve got a sewage pump right near the back of my property. It gets blocked three or four times a year. It overflows and there is a sea of sewage and it stinks.
“It takes them weeks to repair, the last time in January it must have taken them eight weeks. We just want more action on repairs, Homegroup as a company don’t listen to us.”
Fellow resident Neil Whicker claimed some have become sick when there have been sewage problems in recent years. He said: “We have a septic tank here which overflows and the smell is so bad. Sewage comes up though the sinks and has made some tenants ill. When it happens they should see to it straight away but it takes weeks.”
READ MORE:Regina Road residents’ fury over Croydon rent hikes as woman still spends £40-a-week on electric heater
Alan Church said he is fed up with repairs not being done
(Image: Tara O’Connor)
The estate is a mix of rented and shared-ownership homes behind Reedham Station. Residents rents will go up to £122 a week in April and they all pay a weekly £12 service charge and separate water charge.
Mum of two, Karen Anderson, thinks there are problems with windows across the blocks and says she spends £120 a month on electricity as the flats have electric heaters.
The 46-year-old teacher said: “I am worried that there is going to be problems with damp as the seals on the windows are broken. Every morning I wipe up the windows then open them, I’ve even got an electric dehumidifier. It is about the build of these flats.”
She said one of the windows in the communal area was recently broken, and feared somebody would be hurt by the glass hanging from the frame.
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Tracey Crowley, operations manager at Home Group, has apologised for the issues and said the company is “working hard” to improve life on the estate. She blamed the problems on issues with the cleaning and maintenance contractor the company employed.
She said: “We have unfortunately encountered several issues with our contractors around cleaning and maintenance which we are addressing, including bringing in a new supplier as the previous one did not deliver on the standards we expect.
“Our customer engagement team is working with customers to ensure their thoughts and feedback is being heard and we are creating a robust action plan built around that customer feedback to make sure things improve, both in the short and long term.
“We are working to resolve the damp issue and the communal windows are being replaced as part of our planned maintenance program. The septic tank had a pump issue in January but that has now been resolved, however I do want to apologise for the length of time this took and we will be monitoring it closely.”
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