Finsbury tenants ‘sick of Islington Council excuses’ after EIGHT YEARS of leaks

Hazard warning signs at the block's communal entrance. Picture: Steve Poston (Image: Archant)

It came after residents of Patrick Coman House, in the Finsbury Estate off St John’s Road, lodged a formal complaint with Islington Council.

They claimed the authority had “neglected” the building’s communal entrance, which is where the leaks have intermittently occurred for nearly a decade.

The issue recently prompted the reformation of the Finsbury Estate Tenants and Residents’ Association.

Angus Chinn, a committee member, said: “Sporadically work has been carried out but the problem persistently returns. On this occasion it has been constant for a year or two.

“The council has a contractual duty to deliver the services that we pay for in our rents and service charges.

“We have had a couple of months of being given poor excuses and even being told the leak had been fixed – when it hadn’t.”

Water damage on the ceiling. Picture: Steve Poston (Image: Archant)

Ricky Darko, whose flat entrance is on the ground floor near the leaky communal area, said: “I’ve live here for eight years and the leak in the entrance of the block has been there for as long as I have.

“I was initially wary of accepting the flat because of the leak. Most tenants use the back doors to their homes because of the poor conditions here.

“There is a crack across the ceiling, the floor tiles are always wet and the walls damp. We are also worried that because the leak has been going on for so long, it may have caused damage to the building structure.”

An Islington Council spokesman said: “Patrick Coman House has suffered intermittent water leaks for several years. There have been a number of issues centred on a faulty large water tank, and we are currently working to fix these permanently.

“We’re very sorry that residents have been inconvenienced, and will be awarding appropriate compensation once the work is finished.”