Winsome McLennon, known as Winnie, has been sleeping on her couch for months as the floorboard in her bedroom “burns” from heating pipes beneath.
The 55-year-old moved into her block in Priory Park, in Priory Park Road, Hornsey, in 2022 and immediately noticed how hot her floor was.
The block is managed by Haringey Council and houses 52 people, most of whom are vulnerable, elderly or both.
Desperate, Winnie made an error calling this paper which was instead picked up by a charity worker who was so shocked by her story she escalated the complaint to Haringey Council – and notified the Ham&High.
On the day we visited Winnie, an engineer came to switch off the heating, but not before the reporter had felt the burning floorboards and felt the heat of her flat, and her elderly neighbour’s home, for themselves.
Winnie said: “Two years ago the weather was hot and I told Haringey I was burning up. This year is worse and I complained and they ignored it.
“The pipes are on the floor and 24 hours a day they are very hot, even in winter it’s boiling. People who come to the flat say the same, it’s too hot here.
“In this heatwave I can’t sleep in my bedroom, I have a bad back and have to lie on the sofa, which makes it worse.”
Winnie, who is on Universal Credit and receives Personal Independent Payments (PIP), runs three fans in her living room and has to keep her fridge and freezer open.
“Last week I put £65 on the meter and this week there’s only £30 left. I can’t turn the fan off. They don’t give any compensation,” she added.
Compounding Winnie’s pain is her slow recovery from a hysterectomy operation on July 10 last year.
“It’s not healing because it’s too hot. I can still feel it burning me and itching me,” she said.
Following the Ham&High‘s visit Haringey officers switched off the heating, which had to be reinstated the following day after Winnie said the hot water switched off too.
“I was planning on going back to my bedroom but I can’t go back. I can’t live here and die of heat. This is too dangerous,” she added.
A fellow resident of the block, in her 70s and who has cancer, also sleeps on her tiny sofa.
Too scared to be named, she added: “Respectable people live here. Does Haringey think we are not worth it? It’s just disgraceful.”
Haringey Council did not comment on the glitch in the system which also switches off the hot water.
Cllr Sarah Williams, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and planning, said: “We fully appreciate and understand the concerns expressed by Winsome and her neighbour.
“The health and wellbeing of our residents, especially those who are vulnerable, is always our number one concern, and staff have visited the scheme to advise all tenants how to cope with the extreme weather conditions and stay cool.
“The heating is turned off in the summer, but we know the residual heat from the hot water pipes under the floors is making the situation uncomfortable for some residents.
“Our surveyors have investigated, and we are working hard to find a solution.
“The demand for sheltered accommodation is extremely high, but we will always carefully consider any request for a move.”
