A single mother has accused Enfield Council of placing her young family in “unsafe” temporary accommodation in Walthamstow, after part of a ceiling collapsed on top of her.
The mother-of-five, known as Anna to protect her identity, has lived in the property with her children since September 2025. She told the Waltham Forest Echo that part of the living room ceiling fell down on Saturday 31 October, leaving rubble and debris across the floor. While she was clearing up, another section came down and struck her.
Photographs show extensive damage to the ceiling, with debris covering much of the room. Anna says the incident has left her “deeply concerned” for her children, and that she no longer feels safe in her own home.
“My own home, the place where my children should feel safe, has become a place where I am genuinely worried about what could happen next,” she said. “A piece of the ceiling has already hit me. Does somebody have to get seriously injured before this situation is treated as an emergency? I am not asking for luxury or special treatment; I am asking for somewhere safe for my children to sleep.”
Four of Anna's five children are under three. Her one-year-old son has breathing difficulties and has had heart surgery in the past. Because of his health and sensitivity to dust, she has asked Enfield Council to house the family somewhere suitable while the ceiling is repaired.
“I should not have to put my children in an environment where they could be exposed to falling debris, dust and potentially dangerous repair work,” she said.
The family has lived in a series of temporary homes provided by Enfield Council for the past nine years while waiting for longer-term housing.
The council's response
Enfield Council said it was “continuing to work” with the family to find suitable longer-term housing. A council spokesperson said: “We understand the difficulties faced by families living in temporary accommodation. We continue to work with this family to identify suitable longer-term housing which takes account of their assessed needs. A severe shortage of affordable family-sized homes across London unfortunately means some families remain in temporary accommodation for longer than we would want.”
The council said an officer inspected the property on Thursday 5 November and identified repairs that need doing. The managing agent has been asked to carry out the work, and the family has been offered somewhere to stay while it takes place. The council added that “the suitability of the family's accommodation is under review.”
The Echo understands the family was offered a hotel in Cheshunt during the repairs, and that Anna turned it down.
“I have five children, rely on public transport and need access to kitchen facilities. My older child also needs to maintain his school attendance,” she said. “I want to make this absolutely clear: I am not refusing repairs or access to contractors, I am asking for safe and suitable alternative accommodation while the necessary work is carried out.”
Anna said council officers later told her a referral to social services might be made if she did not let contractors carry out repairs, even with her children in the property. She called this “intimidating” and “unacceptable”.
Enfield Council said: “We are reviewing concerns about how safeguarding matters were communicated in this case. Safeguarding procedures should not discourage residents from raising legitimate concerns about the safety of their accommodation.”
