Residents leave 'hellhole' flats for cladding work

A mother living in flats in Worcester with unsafe cladding has told the BBC she is glad to be forced to leave what she describes as a "hellhole".

People living in Harrington Court have been sent a letter saying they will have to move out for essential works.

New permanent homes for the 22 tenants are now being sought, but several say they are glad to be leaving after repeated problems with mould and damp.

Rooftop Housing Group, which owns the property, says it has made the difficult decision for safety reasons and is working to find suitable accommodation for everyone.

In its letter to residents, the firm said work to replace the cladding was part of a wider investment plan designed to "improve the quality, safety and long-term sustainability" of the building.

It said due to the scale of the work the building needed to be vacated and that it was working with Worcester City Council to find permanent alternative accommodation for residents, as temporary ones were often less secure and more disruptive.

A mum-of-two, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC that living in the building had been "absolute hell", with "constant issues around mould and damp, rat infestation".

In the past, she said her family had had to be temporarily rehoused in hotels and Airbnbs four times in the seven years she had lived at the flats in Lowesmoor, and that her son had developed a respiratory condition.

A letter from his doctor, seen by the BBC, acknowledged that there was a suggestion his symptoms were made worse by the living conditions.

Another mother in the flats said two of her children had started using inhalers since living at Harrington Court.

Multiple people living in the flat complex have said that although moving will be stressful, they were looking forward to leaving because the living conditions had been so bad.

One tenant told the BBC she had received no indication of how long it would take to find new accommodation.

"They've said they've put a hold on properties within and around Worcester so we are priority, but they can't tell us whether it'll be next week, next month or the next few months or where we're going," she said.

"My kids are at school here so it's not physically possible to move away."

In a response to the BBC, Rooftop Housing Group said residents would find out more at a meeting being held at the Hive in Worcester on 17 June - and that the rehousing process was likely to take six months.

They declined to comment on tenants' accusations over living conditions - but did confirm the cladding problems are not directly linked to damp and mould.

Rooftop Housing Group said it understood it was an "unsettling" time for residents and that it was "committed to fully supporting our customers through the process".

"We are working with local partners to ensure suitable, safe, and secure, alternative accommodation is found for everyone," it added.

A Worcester City Council spokesperson said: "We understand that this must be a worrying time for residents of Harrington Court, but Rooftop has committed to working closely with residents and the council's housing service to ensure that no-one should be made homeless as a result of these necessary works.

"Council representatives will be attending the Residents Meeting on 17 June where further information will be shared about all the options available."

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