Residents of 'disgusting' Portsmouth block of flats 'disheartened' by lack of action after shocking report

Privately-owned Windsor House, in Canal Walk, Landport, hit the headlines earlier this month because of its shocking condition – with some flats overrun by thick black mould.

Residents raised a raft of serious complaints, including walkways littered with rubbish and needles from drug taking, a broken front door allowing homeless people to sleep rough in communal areas, and flat ceiling collapsing due to leaks and damp.

One resident, who asked not to be named, has undertaken a private survey of their flat, with the report finding their ‘dwelling is currently unfit for human habitation.’

Another resident, Ray Batson, a HGV driver and a former Royal Marine who served for more than eight years, will be moving out of his mould-infested and damaged flat later this week, taking up a place in a property outside Windsor House.

Now residents are chasing the results of a leak detection survey that they have been informed was undertaken by the freeholder.

But the whole property needs a survey from a structural engineer, according to Leah Hardwick, who has lived in the property for more than two years.

Leaks and damp have grown worse right outside her flat in the last fortnight, according to the mother-of-one.

She said: ‘It’s got worse. The leak outside my flat has grown by four inches in the space of a few days.’

Leah reports that that the worker from the leak detection company ‘couldn’t believe’ the state of the property.

She said: ‘He was so shocked by what he found.

‘Every single flat needs to have a structural engineer to undertake a report to to ensure it is safe.

‘We’ve no idea how to request a structural engineer as we can’t even get a response (from the freeholder).

‘It’s disheartening to feel like we have been left in a pit.’

The owner of the building, Todd Hyatt, has previously said he ‘will definitely act on’ conditions in Windsor House and that he wants to ‘make residents' lives better’.

But Leah said: ‘We don't want to hear about action – we want to see it.

‘The right things can be said by the freeholder, but we haven’t seen action for many years.’

The council has contacted residents to offer advise and sent wardens to clean up drug paraphernalia left in the building last week, according to Leah.

The News attempted to contact Mr Hyatt for comment.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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