Owner of ‘disgusting’ apartment block in Portsmouth promises action to tenants

The owner of Windsor House in Canal Walk, Portsmouth, Todd Hyatt, said no resident had reported problems at the block.

As reported, residents have complained of collapsing ceilings, walls blackened by mould, and communal spaces littered with drug needles.

The conditions have shocked city councillors, who say the housing is among the worst they have ever seen.

Ray Batson, a HGV driver and a former Royal Marine who served for more than eight years, said his flat seemed ‘fine’ when he moved in three years ago.

Now black mould covers his bedroom wall and part of the room’s ceiling has collapsed.

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‘I don’t feel safe here. It’s horrible. In this day and age, we shouldn’t live like this,’ Ray said.

Responding to the problems, Mr Hyatt told ITV News Meridian he is offering to place residents in temporary accommodation while their flats are stripped out and refurbished and he does not want them to ‘live in unsafe conditions’.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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