A mum has had to live in a cockroach-infested flat for 10 years, with traps now catching 1,000 of the creatures every week. Single mum Danielle - not her real name - now shares the flat with her two young children.
She said the problem at the flat in Lewisham, South East London, had got so bad that they can't eat at home and dread going to sleep at night. Danielle was moved into the home in 2012 under social housing provider Lewisham Homes. Now, after the issue was raised by a housing campaigner on social media, Lewisham Homes has said it will tackle the infestation.
Danielle, who was 18 at the time, had just given birth to her first son. From day one, there were problems with cockroaches, reports MyLondon.
She said it started off as one or two appearing each day, but quickly they began to multiply. “I was young then and I didn’t really understand what cockroaches were,” she said. “Plus I was busy looking after my newborn baby and I had enough to be dealing with.”
But soon the problem became impossible to ignore. “I contacted Lewisham Homes but they just told me there was nothing they could do and that more people in my block needed to report it for them to do something,” Danielle explained.
After a survey of the block three neighbours responded saying they were dealing with cockroach infestations. Lewisham Homes said this still wasn’t enough to do anything.
Now, 10 years on, Danielle has two children and they are in a living nightmare. The surfaces of the house are heaving with cockroaches.
Each week the traps collect over a thousand. They have invaded drawers and appliances such as the hob, meaning Danielle cannot cook or prepare food. They have got into the WIFI box and destroyed the electrics. But the worst part is the cockcroaches have made their way into the woodwork and into their beds.
“My children share a bunk bed and they don’t want to go to sleep” she said. “I don’t blame them. I can’t sleep either. The stress we are under is stifling.”
Contacting Lewisham Homes has become a daily occurrence for Danielle. She has received little response from them until this week, when social housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa visited her property.
Kwajo said it was the worst infestation he had ever seen. He filmed the horrific conditions and shortly after posted it on Twitter. The videos, one of which shows cockroaches jumping out of the gas hob rings, has gone viral.
"Lewisham Homes have sent a pest exterminator and we have been told they’re putting us in a hotel for the weekend and then temporary accommodation after but it’s not enough,” Danielle continued.
“Why has it taken so long? Why has it taken Twitter to make them listen to us? And temporary accommodation is all very well but we need permanent accommodation. There is no way we are going back there and I have no idea what I’m going to do about furniture or appliances because we can’t bring our current belongings.”
A Lewisham spokesperson told My London: "Yesterday, a very serious cockroach infestation in a property we manage was highlighted on social media. We have arranged alternative accommodation for the family while the infestation is treated. Pest control are on site today (8 July) to treat the property and the wider block.
"The conditions in which the family were living are unacceptable and we would like to apologise for the distress caused. We are investigating how this situation arose to ensure that we avoid similar situations in the future.
"While pest control treatments had previously been carried out at the property, these were clearly inadequate in treating the problem and we are reviewing our processes in this regard. We are currently liaising with the family to explore their future housing options."
