Residents fear Tower of Horrors plagued by rats could be next Grenfell

by · Mail Online

Residents of a Leicester tower block who say they are living in 'squalid conditions' are worried they could be the victims of 'another Grenfell'.

Dubbed the 'Tower of Horrors', De Montfort House is plagued by rodents, collapsing ceilings, and frequent fires and has been described as a 'ticking time bomb' of health and safety hazards.

Vulnerable residents are struggling to cope with what they described as a constant torrent of problems starting in the corridors which smell of cannabis and resembled a building site, with bare ceilings and exposed wires near leaking water.

Following torrential rain recently, several ceilings in the 16-storey block have collapsed, exacerbating existing issues.

One resident who has lived at De Montfort House - which houses over 400 people - for nearly 30 years has said the 'nightmare' building 'needs tearing down'.

Dubbed the 'Tower of Horrors', residents of De Montfort House (Leanne, 25, seen facing the block)  in Leicester say they are living in 'squalid conditions' are worried they could be the victims of 'another Grenfell'
Colin, 68, has lived at the block for 27 years and called his time there a 'nightmare', saying: 'I've got mice and bedbugs, and the place is falling apart. It needs tearing down'
Following torrential rain recently, several ceilings in the 16-storey block have collapsed, exacerbating existing issues

Colin, 68, has lived at the block for 27 years and revealed: 'I've got mice and bedbugs, the place is falling apart. It needs tearing down.'

De Montfort House is comprised of an array of one-bed and studio apartments, for rent at £602.49 and £490.90 per month respectively.

One flat on the 14th floor was deemed 'unsafe' after the floods and the occupant, Amy, was moved into temporary hotel accommodation, but has being kept in the dark about repairs back home.

The 26-year-old said: 'It doesn't look like anyone's been in my flat to do any work; it's exactly how I left it.

'I'm supposed to hand in my card to the hotel later this week, but nobody's actually explaining what work is being done.

'Sometimes, there's no water for two or three days at a time. There's mould in here; my cat has been sick. 

'The block is known by residents as the tower of horrors, at night that's when the mice come out and you fall asleep not knowing what you are going to wake up to.'

One floor above Amy is Nathan, who watched parts of his ceiling fall down in the bad weather, while water seeped in and saturated the floor below.

The 37-year-old said on Tuesday: 'Yesterday was my bedroom, and then Sunday was my living room. They put me in the hotel for a week, but I think it's enough to be longer.'

The two are not alone as on the ground floor, 29-year-old Josh revealed an incident where a mouse fell from the ceiling, 'and landed in my hood'.

He added that living in such conditions has taken a toll on his mental health, saying: 'It's become a traumatic event having a leak now. I get anxiety and sometimes even palpitations. I can't have my kids here.'

Floors in the building's one-bed and studio apartments, as well as in the corridors were also flooded by recent rainfall
De Montfort House has a communal lounge and laundry room, but seemingly no lighting in the communal areas 
One resident put a towel down on their windowsill to absorb condensation which trickled down the walls and window
After recent rainfall, corridors and rooms have been flooded, with leaks seen coming through open ceilings near wires
Some residents complained of corridors smelling of cannabis and resembled a building site

Leanne, 25, characterised life in the tower block as 'living in filth and fear', claiming: 'You can hear the mice scratching at the walls, squealing. Home is meant to be your safe space, but how can you feel safe here?

'I was in my kitchen, and maggots were falling from the light. It was like something out of a horror movie. I was standing there, and they were just dropping down from the light fixture. It was disgusting.'

Leanne has kept a video of the maggots appearing in her kitchen, while other residents filmed themselves chasing mice in their flats at De Montfort House.

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Another occupant, Mohammed, 43, spoke of his worries about fire safety at the block, saying that no alarm sounds when there is a blaze.

Amy echoed this worry, warning: 'It is going to be another case of Grenfell. There are over 400 people in this building, and there's no emergency push or pull. There are no fire extinguishers on any floor.'

In a statement, Marion Duffy, chief operations officer at Platform Housing Group - which manages the homes - said that recent 'exceptional rainfall' had caused roof leaks in the building.

'For those most severely impacted, we facilitated a move to temporary accommodation,' she said.

She added that teams were on-site coordinating repairs to resolve the issue 'as swiftly and efficiently as possible'.

Ms Duffy also addressed additional concerns, stating there were no fire safety issues at the property. 

She acknowledged reports of pest problems and other maintenance issues, saying the company was 'committed to continuing to work with customers to improve life at De Montfort House'.