We live on a council estate plagued by kids as young as 6 doing drugs while our posh neighbours have a sauna, pool & gym | The Sun
SOCIAL tenants living in a block of flats plagued by kids as young as six taking drugs are furious they get different treatment to their posh neighbours.
New-build Avalon Mansions near Wood Green, north London, opened 16 months ago to council-housed tenants.
Those living inside thought they were moving into a "palace".
And signs advertising the development feature images of saunas, pools and a luxury gym.
But residents claim one block has been hit by a deluge of problems including neighbours with guns, heroin addicts, young children using drugs and broken down doors.
Yet neighbouring blocks are seemingly fine, with those living inside nearby Silvana Mansions pointing out Avalon as the "problem block" when approached by The Sun Online.
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'WE'RE LIVING IN HELL'
Residents told us they've been living in hell as drugged-up men allegedly constantly break down their front door looking for their next fix.
Gangs of children aged six to 14 smoke cannabis and inhale nitrous oxide cannisters, also known as nos or balloons, in the nine-storey building's stairway, according to residents.
And one previous tenant was kicked out for gun possession and drug dealing, they claim.
Mum-of-four Farhiya Ali, 34, who moved into her flat in May last year, said: “We have people come in and they break the doors. As soon as they're fixed they're broken again.
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"I feel really unsafe. I have four young children and I'm frightened for them. I've seen the cannisters and balloons all down the stairs. We're forced to clean it because the housing association's cleaners won't."
Mum-of-two Fouzia Howsi, 49, said residents live in fear "if nothing is done something really bad is going to happen".
She added: "The police are here all the time. I'm raising children here and I'm scared for my son. I don't want him growing up thinking this is normal.
"There are tenants selling drugs. It's so scary. Kids do nos balloons in the stairwell. My ten-year-old is now looking over his shoulder as he comes and goes."
Father-of-three Kamrul Hassa, 39, said the block needed 24/7 security.
He said: "They just put us in here and forgot about us. We have to call so many times. The front door was broken for almost a month before the association sent someone to fix it."
A LUXURY DEVELOPMENT
From the outside Avalon Mansions is stunning.
On a brand new development with luxury apartment blocks still under construction, it's completed buildings are surrounded by quaint areas of grass and greenery.
Water features add to the calming aesthetic and it's hard to believe those inside the buildings could feel anything but lucky to be there.
In fact, when the block opened in late 2021 its first residents thought it was paradise.
Many of those inside were afraid to be named for fear of backlash from other neighbours.
One woman said: "I moved in in April 2022 and thought it was absolutely perfect. I felt so lucky, but after two months the problems started."
Another woman, a mum-of-one, said she thought the building was "a palace".
She added: "When I first moved here it was like a palace. But then others moved in. They’re in the lifts, banging, scratching up the walls. There’s no respect. Certain people in here shouldn’t have been allowed."
'WE'RE TREATED DIFFERENTLY'
The 58 flats inside are filled with social housing tenants, with many women fleeing domestic abuse.
The block is part of a new development in Clarendon, on the site of an old gas works.
Those living in Avalon Mansions feel a bitter divide between their treatment, and those in other blocks.
They've complained to their housing association, London and Quadrant (L&Q), but say they've been ignored.
The woman, who was moved into the flat after witnessing a murder, said: “Other blocks have working cameras and security and we have nothing. Even in the next block along they have no problems, it's just here. No one is doing anything to help us.
“They have a sauna, swimming pool and gym while we feel like our safety is ignored. The association doesn't care about doing anything about the problems.
"We just want to feel heard. We want a working fire alarm system and security. We’re not asking for the world."
Another mum said other blocks were filled with mortgaged and owned homes where "posh people" live.
She added: "The people there have more money, they're more posh. They don't have any of the problems we've had.
"It feels really unfair. Like we've just been dumped here. They don’t care for our safety whatsoever. It’s not important to them."
'WHERE'S THE HUMAN DECENCY?'
The residents are paying around £200-a-month in service charges, but say they don't know where the money is going.
The woman added: "We’re meant to get security throughout the night every two hours, a cleaner. We don’t get that at all. I pay £900-a-month to be here.
"That’s a lot of money. The service charge is £200-a-month. Our safety is put at risk so why am I paying it?
"Where’s the human decency?"
One video shows a torrent of water dripping from the ceiling because of a leak.
A woman said a piece of the ceiling fell on her shoulder as it crumbled.
And residents claim the building's fire alarms have faulty wiring.
Another mum moved into the flat to escape an abusive ex partner.
She complained they felt they'd "been sold a dream" which quickly turned into a nightmare.
She added: “The housing association don’t do anything. We were sold a dream. It’s been awful.
"We pay £48-a-week for a service we don’t receive. A child saw a heroine user shooting up on the stairwell.
"There’s a drug user upstairs. Apparently she’s in supported housing so they say they can’t do anything.
"It’s caused a lot of disruption. She’s why all the doors were broken at one point. It’s only this block dealing with these issues. Other blocks are so clean.
"We’re all council and we’re the ones dealing with these issues. The lack of security gives me extreme anxiety.
"I’ve been stalked and harassed. I don’t want my ex to be able to get in here. I’m always on edge."
A FAMILY BUILDING
At 4pm the building's entryway is thronged with families as children get home from school.
And many mums worry for their safety.
They claim a drug dealer moved into one of the flats and has aggressive visitors all through the night.
Ms Howsi added: “There are so many people here things are bound to happen but we need working cameras to catch it. There are drugs here, that’s the worst thing.
"There are so many children here. It’s the drug taking on the stairs and smells in the lift. The smells are unbearable and seep into the flats."
Another mum said: "The place is a shambles. If someone doesn’t sort it as soon as possible it’s an accident waiting to happen.
"There are drug dealers here, crack heads. One man told us he’s a pimp. These people are around our children.
"My ten-year-old son was woken up at 1am by 40 officers stomping up the stairs when one drug dealer was evicted.
"He was scared to come in and out. I had to give him so much reassurance. He had never witnessed anything like that.
"The doors have been booted in dozens of times. One time it was fixed on a Monday, broken again by Saturday.
"We need security. We deal with verbal abuse. We’ve never lived anywhere like this before.
"We need the housing association to step up and do something about it. We shouldn’t be living here. The minority are ruining it for everyone."
One of the women said she was fleeing domestic abuse by a previous partner but is now facing more violence inside her new building.
She said: "My partner was physically assaulted because he refused to let one man up to the sixth floor. Another time he had to stop a six-year-old child in the stairway taking balloons.
"Their parents were nowhere to be seen. L&Q aren’t in contact with any of us. We just want the problems to be fixed. Our safety is at so much risk.
"We had someone evicted for having a gun in his property. That was just six months after we moved in. We’ve only been here a year.
"I was better off in the temporary accommodation I was in before.
"There are heroin users coming in here everyday. These children, including my ten-year-old son, are seeing these awful people in here everyday. It’s so dangerous. It’s no way to bring up kids."
L&Q reported a turnover of £1,112million overall and made a profit of £24million from its non-social housing lettings last year.
David Lewis, executive group director at property services at L&Q, said: "We take the safety and security of our residents extremely seriously. Following a visit from our Engineer earlier this week all resident fire safety systems are operational, and on-going maintenance of these systems will continue to ensure they remain fully functional.
“Unfortunately when repairs are required to fire doors it can sometimes take time to source parts and carry out repairs, and we appreciate this sometimes leads to inconvenience for residents.
"We apologise for these delays and thank our residents for their patience and understanding. We aim to complete all repairs as quickly as we can, but where doors are not secured or there are access issues, we treat these as urgent.
“With regards to the other issues raised, we are in contact with the Police and Haringey Council Community Safety and Enforcement to provide further support and reassurance for the residents of Avalon Mansions.
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"Our local team is also working closely with residents to complete any outstanding repairs and respond to any improvements we can make to our service.”
The Sun Online has contacted London Fire Brigade and Haringey Council for comment.
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