When Your Home Makes You Sick

From: S (leaseholder on Tanner's Hill Estate)
Date: 14 August 2014
To: Environmental Health — Residential, Lewisham Council

Hi,

I live on the Tanner's Hill Estate in Deptford / New Cross. Our estate has been undergoing an extensive major works programme since January. One of the conditions of this work is that the workmen clean up after themselves each day. They have repeatedly failed to do so, despite numerous complaints from residents.

On 14 August 2014 they began brickwork re-pointing on my block. This involves gouging out 50 mm of mortar, covering the whole neighbourhood in a thick blanket of mortar dust, brick dust, as well as the dust, grime, and crap that has accumulated over the 45 years the building has been standing.

For the first week of this work, no clean-up was done whatsoever. My neighbour and I wrote to Lewisham Homes to lodge an official complaint. We wrote 9 times over a 12-day period before they decided to treat our complaint as a complaint. Their eventual response was that the workmen would clean up, but I should keep all my windows closed from 7:00 to 19:00 every day for the six weeks the work was expected to take (in spite of the heat wave).

At one point they suggested that they would only clean up the properties they had actually been working on each day. So, if they worked on the property directly above mine, the dust and grime that covered my garden and came in my windows and around the edges of my windows was not their problem.

During this time I suffered an allergic reaction so severe I had to get an emergency referral to the dermatologist. The only treatment that would touch my allergies was a course of steroids the GP simply refuses to prescribe due to potential side effects. I’m not suggesting that the works were the initial cause of my allergy attack, but the dermatologist agreed that, at a minimum, they certainly exacerbated my symptoms.

Since the 5th of August, I note that the workmen have faithfully cleaned up my property daily. However, the same does not seem to hold true for my neighbours. My next door neighbour wrote yesterday to complain that her property was again left covered in a thick blanket of dirt, dust, grime. I wonder how many other properties haven’t been cleaned up regularly, and how long it will be before mine gets accidentally missed again.

 The dermatologist prescribed only a five-day course of steroids, as it is dangerous to stay on them for longer. I worry that it won’t be enough.

I ask you to look into this situation as a matter of urgency, and thank you for your attentions in this matter.

Regards,
S


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From: M (Team Leader, Environmental Health — Residential, Lewisham Council)
Date: 14 August 2014
To:  S (leaseholder on Tanner's Hill Estate)

Madam,

This matter is for Lewisham Homes not Environmental Health Residential, please contact them.

Regards,
M



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From: S (leaseholder on Tanner's Hill Estate)
Date: 14 August 2014
To: Environmental Health — Residential, Lewisham Council

Hi Mike,

Had you bothered to read my message, you'd see that I have contacted Lewisham Homes repeatedly, to no avail. Your department is called Environmental Health Residential within the London Borough of Lewisham. If the environmental health of residents within the London Borough of Lewisham is not within your remit, then I seriously question what the purpose of your team actually is.

Furthermore, beginning your message with 'Madam' is rude. It has the ring of 'not my job', which again I question. If this is somehow legitimately not within the domain of your department, then you could still do me the courtesy as a taxpayer and resident and fellow human being of beginning your message with 'Hi S', 'Dear Ms S', or at the very least, 'Dear Madam'.

Again I point out that I am having environmental health problems in my residence in the London a Borough of Lewisham. To whom can I address these concerns if not the Environmental Health Residential within the London Borough of Lewisham?

Regards,
S
 


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From: M (Team Leader, Environmental Health — Residential, Lewisham Council)
Date: 14 August 2014
To:  S (leaseholder on Tanner's Hill Estate)

Dear Ms S

apologies if you found my reply 'rude'. Environmental Health Residential is responsible for disrepair to accommodation occupied by private tenants. Any building/land etc owned by Lewisham Homes is their responsibility. There are other departments (previously under the Environmental Health umbrella) that are responsible for noise/dust and nuisance etc (known as Environmental Enforcement) and they are on 0208 314 217.

I would advise you try them but please note no one council department can take any action against another.

regards
M