EXCLUSIVE: Disabled Mum’s Desperate Cry For Help Living In Tiny Flat Without Heating, Hot Water, Horrendous Mould and Rats Running Throughout Her Flat.

‘”I can’t take it anymore, I have been begging people for help for so long now. We are living in inhumane conditions,” Regina exclusively told the Havering Daily. She invited us into her small flat on Charrington Court, on Atlanta Boulevard in Romford, alongside St Albans ward Councillor Judith Holt who has been one of the few people to actually help the disabled mum.

Regina is a single mum with three children aged, 8, 15 and 16 years old. Her eldest son is brain damaged and requires special help as he often fits and needs space. Her 15 year old son has severe asthma and the damp and mould have made it very difficult for him to breathe. The family of four are living in tiny, cramped conditions.

The family live in a tower block on Atlanta Boulevard that has been covered in scaffolding due to having the cladding removed. This means that Regina and her children have no access to natural light at either the front or the back of her flat. “The flat is very dark, the scaffolding covers our front window and back window which means we have no natural light. We are forced to keep a light on all day as it is so dark inside. Our view has been the scaffolding for ages now.

“We have no hot water and no heating. I’ve been told to boil the kettle to have a bath.

“It really has been a nightmare for months and months and despite asking for help from so many people, only Councillor Holt has helped.”

Regina has been placed in private sector leasing and has been asking to be moved for years due to the cramped conditions her and her children are living in.

“This is my flat except for the small bedrooms. This is all the space my three children have. When my eldest son has fits, he needs space to calm down and be on his own. Doctors have advised me to have access to a garden to help him relax. At the moment I can’t even open a window.

“We have had horrendous mould and damp across the walls. It has been really bad. It has been across many areas and has really impacted my son’s breathing.

“We reported this mould and what they did was come and paint over it. The flat is so small and it really impacts us all. My son has severe asthma and the doctor has told me, if we carry on living like this, he will need to be hospitalised.”

Regina showed me the bag of medication that her 15 year old son takes to help his asthma.

“As we are on the ground floor it means that not only do we have endless noise, but also a huge problem with rats. They run across my flat everyday. I have reported this to all the housing people and have been told I have to sort this problem out myself.”

Regina’s flat backs on to the rubbish area full of bins and rubbish sacks which is where she believes the rats are coming from.

“We have had no heating or hot water for weeks, I have reported this and have been told to boil the kettle and have a bath that way.

“My children do not want to come home from school as they can’t stand living here. I have asked social services for help, telling them how important it is that we move so that my children can grow up in better conditions and their response was to threaten me to remove my children from me.”

Regina is a broken lady, everyday is a battle for her living in horrendous conditions and doing her best as a mum to look after her children.

Councillor Judith Holt has been supporting her and helping her with her appalling living conditions. She frequently takes Regina out for coffee to get her out of the tiny flat and improve her mental health as she is on the verge of a breakdown mentally.

Councillor Judith Holt, Ward Councillor for St. Alban’s Ward, who has befriended Mrs. Gyimah, said, “I am shocked by the conditions in which Mrs. Gyimah and her three children are living. Her plight has been brought to the attention of the authorities but they seem reluctant to help and support this vulnerable family, who have also been subject to racial abuse. It’s completely unacceptable.’ “

Not only has Regina been living in terrible conditions, but sadly she has also had to deal with racial abuse from those living in her block of flats that has seen her call the police twice.

“They call me awful names in front of my children, telling me I should be swinging in the trees and not living here. I have had to call the police on two occasions it has been that bad.”

For months Regina has been begging many different organisations for help and yet no one has yet stepped in to help her. Her flat is tiny, cramped, dark and cold. Her only view is the scaffolding front and back.

Charrington Court is a One Housing Association. In response to this article, a spokesperson told the Havering Daily:

“We are sorry to hear that Regina is experiencing these problems. We are aware and acting on the issues that Regina has contacted us about.

“In relation to the heating and hot water, our contractors have visited the property and the heating system needed additional parts, we are liaising with the resident to fit these parts and hope to have it fully operational as soon as possible. We have also supported Regina by supplying temporary heaters.

“When made aware of issues with damp and mould, our contractors visited Regina and carried out mould washes in the bedrooms and bathrooms. We have agreed to visit again to see if it has worked and will carry out any further work that may be required.

“Charrington Court is also subject to extensive work to remove the cladding and make the building safe. The major work has meant that there has been disruption to residents, and we do try to minimise the disruption as much as we can, but we recognise that this has not been easy for our residents. The safety of our residents remains a key priority for us and last year, we embarked on a £9m building safety remediation project to replace the cladding on the building, at no cost to any of the residents, which is expected to be complete by February 2024.

“Works of this nature, however, can also lead to pest issues and as a result we have invested in fitting metal grills to the external scaffolding and bating the scaffolding itself. Our pest control contractor has also visited Regina in her home to carry out pest proofing and we will continue to monitor it.

“In view of these new reports, and the circumstances of the household, we are arranging an urgent visit to discuss Regina’s needs and any further work. We have made a referral to our community safety and safeguarding teams to ensure that we can fully support Regina and her family.”

Regina finished by saying, “Myself and my children cannot go on like this-it is inhumane to live in conditions like this.”

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