Top-floor resident of Angel Edmonton block has had to endure severe damp that has affected her family’s health, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

*Boundary Court on Snells Park Estate and (inset) Maria Sadowska*

An Edmonton woman has lived with “horrible” damp problems for six years because Enfield Council has failed to fix a leaking roof in a housing block scheduled for demolition.

Maria Sadowska, who lives at Boundary Court on Snells Park Estate, says her son had to have surgery after experiencing breathing problems linked to dampness in his bedroom caused by the leak.

But she says that despite complaining “many times” and receiving compensation from the council two years ago, the problem is still affecting her family.

Maria is not a council tenant and rents privately but the block is owned and managed by the council.

“The damp is horrible,” Maria said: “It has been going on too long, and I can’t get any help. I’ve tried everything, and nothing works. I can’t even explain how bad it makes me feel.”

After she complains, Maria says the council sends workers to repaint the affected area in her top-floor flat, but the problem keeps coming back.

She said: “They redecorated it on 6th January and, after ten days, all this [damp] came back. It has been like this for six years.”

Maria said the council had previously told her the damp was caused by her failing to open the window while she was showering. But she also said she was told to go up on to the roof and “pour water on there” to show the repair team where it was leaking.

Boundary Court is set to be demolished as part of a £770million council-led redevelopment of the Joyce Avenue and Snells Park estates in Angel Edmonton. The regeneration scheme was recently backed by a majority of residents who voted in a ballot.

Maria believes the reason her roof has not been fixed is because the council plan to knock the block down. She added that she had previously applied to be moved from the property, but the council refused because she did not have “serious health issues”.

A council spokesperson said: “We are sorry we have been unable to find a permanent solution to complaints of flooding at one of the blocks in Boundary Court, Snells Park. Enfield Council regularly provides repair services to properties on the Joyce and Snells estates and will continue to do so as long as residents are living there.

“To address this issue once and for all we have committed to conducting a full survey of the block and carrying out any necessary works to tackle the problem of water entering from the roof.

“We will continue to provide housing repairs and maintenance, management and caretaking services throughout the Joyce and Snells estates while it remains occupied, to ensure properties are safe and weather-tight. However, we recognise that these are incredibly old blocks that are not fit for purpose, which is precisely why Enfield Council has prioritised them for estate renewal.”

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