Council steps in to tackle disgusting Windsor House block of flats in Portsmouth

Windsor House, in Canal Walk, Landport, hit the headlines last week because of the shocking conditions tenants have been enduring.

As previously reported, residents raised a raft of serious complaints about the conditions, which included walkways littered with rubbish and needles from drug taking.

One resident said that black mould covers his bedroom wall and part of the room’s ceiling has collapsed.

Ray Batson, a HGV driver and a former Royal Marine, said: ‘I don’t feel safe here. It’s horrible. In this day and age, we shouldn’t live like this.’

A team from Portsmouth City Council has since visited the flats and today, a letter was hand-delivered to all 39 flats, offering the council's help.

The letter told residents the steps the authority is taking to help them, including, continuing to visit properties, creating a special council team to help residents – especially those at risk or who are vulnerable – to move if they wish.

Councillor Darren Sanders, the council's cabinet member for housing and preventing homelessness, said: ‘Windsor House isn't a council property, so we have to work within legal limits. But we're doing everything we can to help tenants who have been living in these awful conditions. We want to get to the bottom of those, but these are helpful first steps.’

The council reserves the right to take further action, including improvement notices. That will require it to check all flats to see the situation for every resident.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The owner of Windsor House, Todd Hyatt, claimed he was ‘not aware’ of the flats condition.​​​​​​​

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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