A family-of-five are allegedly being forced to move 75 miles away from their London home due to a “horror movie” sewage flood – due to “lack of council housing stock”, according to Barnet Council.
Eleanor King, 30, and her husband, Andrew, 44, along with their three children are currently packing up to make the “dreaded” move – having allegedly lost £5,000 worth of belongings, which were saturated in faecal matter.
Speaking to Jam Press, Barnet Council claims there is no accommodation available to house the family in their local area of Finchley.
They have been offered housing in Peterborough for the foreseeable – which, according to Eleanor, means she and her husband have to find new jobs, as well as schools for their kids.
“It’s left us completely distraught, as our family home of eight years has been ripped away from us,” Eleanor, who works as a GP receptionist, told NeedToKnow.
“Now, we’re having to start over again, change our support networks, the kids’ schools, our jobs.
“It’s such an unexpected event that has completely turned our lives upside down.”
Eleanor, her husband and their children; Rudy, eight, Gracie, six and Ada, three, moved to the £1,600-per-month flat in April 2016.
The issue reportedly first began in January 2024, with the flood happening one month later.
The mum noticed “brown and murky” water filling up their shower and sink.
When she realised there were bits of poo floating about, she contacted the building management, which swiftly attended and unblocked the pipe from outside.
She said: “It smelled really horrible and I thought someone had been to the toilet and hadn’t flushed.
“Our management said the waste had been accumulating for years, but the issue had been resolved.
“Until a month later, when the toilet wouldn’t flush.
“As we weren’t getting anywhere, we shut the bathroom door and said for no one to use the bathroom.”
Minutes later, the couple heard water gushing and as they opened the door, they claim “sludge faecal matter” came pouring out.
Eleanor said: “It was spewing out down the hallway, into the master bedroom, kitchen – everywhere.
“I was screaming and yelling, grabbing sheets, sleeping bags and anything we could put our hands on to stop it from spilling out any further.
“It was like a nightmare horror movie filled with poo and stench across our whole flat.
“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
They tried to move their valuable and sentimental items out of the way but much was ruined by the flood.
An emergency plumber was called, who allegedly couldn’t find the blockage, and the family-of-five were moved into a hotel by the building management and later, an AirBnB, by their managing agent who acts on behalf of their landlord.
Their tenancy wasn’t due to end until April this year but the managing agent, on behalf of the landlord, allegedly decided to end their agreement early, stating “uninhabitable conditions”.
Eleanor said: “I was so stressed and all over the place.
“There was no cooking equipment [at the hotel or Airbnb] and it was tricky having to work out the school runs, all while living out of bags.
“I should’ve been working but we had to keep trying to sort everything out and we lost out on a lot of money.”
The family were already on the council’s housing list for a permanent home due to their children’s disability needs [all three of them have autism] and were luckily given a place to stay.
However, the locations offered were; Birmingham, Nottingham, Northampton, Peterborough and South Croydon.
Unfortunately the Croydon home was a two-bed, which the family said was too small, as their daughter requires a bedroom of her own due to disabilities.
As of today (21 March 2024), they are in the process of moving to their temporary home in Peterborough.
Due to the extra costs involved during the upheaval and loss of work, their savings have been completely drained and the couple are now fundraising for support.
So far, they’ve raised £1,795 out of £5,000.
Eleanor added: “I’m disappointed, as I’ve lived in London my whole life and don’t know anything different.
“Andrew’s mum, who has dementia, needs daily support and now, we’ll have to travel in each day to help her – costing so much in fuel or train tickets.
“None of us have slept in weeks because of how difficult it’s been to navigate.
“But as our kids aren’t handling the change and upheaval well, we’re trying to hold ourselves together.
“Now, we’re facing an unknown future and while we have nothing against our landlord, I wish the pipe had been cleared out and checked sooner.
“If they had done so, all of this could have been avoided and my family wouldn’t be left living in a place all alone.”
Jam Press has contacted the building management and managing agent, who both act on behalf of the landlord, for comment, but has not yet received one.
The couple claim they have not been in direct contact with the landlord but all issues have been directed to the building management and managing agent.
Jam Press also contacted Barnet Council for comment.
A Barnet Homes spokesperson said: “We have been working with the family to secure alternative suitable accommodation.
“Unfortunately, Barnet Council, like most London councils, is facing significant challenges due to a lack of council housing stock.
“This makes securing alternative suitable accommodation (within the borough or in London) for residents with housing needs incredibly difficult and we therefore regrettably have to source accommodation further afield.
“In the effort to secure alternative accommodation for the family, they were presented with a choice of three-bedroom properties in different locations outside London, as there were no three-bedroom properties available in Barnet or neighbouring boroughs.
“The family voluntarily accepted the offer of the property in Peterborough, and two schools with SEND provisions close to the property have already confirmed availability of spaces for their child.”
