Residents on a Central London estate say life has become “unbearable” as plumbing issues cause homes to be flooded with scolding-hot water and sewage, lifts break down and the heating system constantly breaks.
Lillington Gardens Estate in Pimlico was built between 1964 and 1972 and was immediately recognised with a slew of awards including by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). It was expanded to include the Longmoore Estate in 1980 and given a Grade II star listing by Historic England in December 2000.
At the time, it was hailed as the “new standard” in social housing and was quickly linked to the once ground-breaking heating system known as the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking (PDHU).
However, fast forward to today and the estate, known to locals as ‘leaky Lillington’, is in a state of decline. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the estate, now called Lillington and Longmoore Gardens, over a number of weeks and heard from residents like Nicholas Barry, whose first-floor flat in Morgan House was flooded with scolding-hot water in October last year, then his balcony was flooded with sewage twice this year.
The 58-year-old said he waited five hours for repair workers to arrive after the hot water flooding and it took five days for the sewage to be cleared from his balcony.
He accused the council of not listening to people’s concerns, saying: “They do whatever they want. They aren’t actually listening to tenants when issues occur, which happen on an almost daily basis.”
The LDRS understands Nicholas’ flat was affected by a leak from the heating system and he was offered temporary accommodation while the repair work was carried out.
Nicholas first noticed something was wrong with his property when he saw a “hot cloud of steam” coming from his bathroom in October 2024. He said as soon as his carer opened the electrical box they heard an explosion. He said: “Three explosions happened. It was huge.”
Nicholas, who relies on a crutch to walk, said he had to evacuate after hot water began “cascading” down the walls of his studio flat. Holding back tears as he spoke with the LDRS, Nicholas said: “All the residents on the landing, they were just so supportive. I had one resident on the second floor bring me down a camping chair to sit on outside my flat.
“Within an hour, I was balling my eyes out at what had happened to my living room and bathroom.”
Nicholas said the council refurbished his flat and eventually compensated him £3,500.
But his problems only got worse. In January, he had sewage “backing up” onto his balcony after using his toilet. He said Westminster City took five days to clean the mess during which time he had been advised to use his neighbour’s toilet or to go to the local church.
He said: “It made me feel inadequate. It made me feel very worried. It wasn’t right for me not to use my toilet.”
‘I’m in fear 24/7’
Nicholas was also bed-ridden at the time due a back problem. He said his carers bought air fresheners but they helped “only a little bit”. He said: “It smelt like urine and faeces. It was unpleasant. It was unbearable. I literally had to close my window and door for five whole days.”
Six weeks later, Nicholas’ balcony flooded with sewage for a second time. He was told wet wipes had caused both spillages by blocking the system. Nick said he doesn’t use wipes.
He said: “It’s making me ill because I said the first time it’s going to happen again but they all just dismissed it. They were all blind-sided and they weren’t taking me seriously.
“I’m in fear 24/7. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I feel when it does happen again, I’m not going to get the council’s support.”
‘The heating never turns off’
The LDRS heard how some residents in neighbouring Charlwood House walk around naked in their flats to keep cool because the heating never turns off. Pat Findley said she has spent hundreds of pounds on coolers and buys her own bottled water claiming the water supply cannot be trusted.
She said: “I have stood in the shower and the water smells like s***.”
Pat also said residents were left without water for a number of hours in late May. According to Westminster City Council, the block had no hot water for an estimated 12 hours between May 25 and May 26 due to a valve not being reconnected following repair work. It has apologised to residents and offered support.
When the LDRS visited, the hallways were filled with heat and our reporter had to leave after 15 minutes because it became unbearable. Pat and other residents believe the heating is a relic of Charlwood’s former iteration as an aged care facility. The building is still used for supported living.
They also claim the building was poorly converted into residential flats and complained of sewage pipes in bedrooms and constant leaks. Pat claims her window frames have been eaten by wood lice because they are rotting and her flat is sometimes left with no heating.
The 73-year-old said: “It’s horrible because I need water and heating for my health. I need it for my heart and for my mental health.”
She said she no longer trusts the leaseholders, A2Dominion, or Westminster City Council, which manages the block on A2Dominion’s behalf. She said: “When you go to the office to complain, they give you this look. They think you’re a trouble-maker and they pick on you. They just don’t like people complaining.”
The LDRS also heard from residents across the estate experiencing leaks, mould and damp. One leaseholder claimed his service charge jumped from £1,000 to £3,000 in five years.
Stan, from Morgan House, also said lifts in his block constantly break down. He said: “When the lifts do work, you need to wait a while but when one stops working, it’s a nightmare.”
In July last year, the LDRS reported how a 104-year-old D-Day veteran became a “prisoner in his own home” after lifts repeatedly broke down in Parkinson House, on the Lillington and Longmoore Estate.
Ageing infrastructure
It comes as a Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by the LDRS found the estate had one of the highest rates of plumbing repair requests over a five-year period across all council estates.
Between January 2020 and March 2025, the estate experienced 2,086 plumbing repairs, which is equivalent to 17pc of total repair requests to Westminster City over this time. The only estates to experience a higher call-out rate were Lisson Green Estate with 3,378 and Churchill Gardens estate with 2,948.
In fourth place is Mozart Estate with 1,677 requests. The estate also experienced 2,729 call-outs due to problems associated with the PDHU. Other estates linked to the heating system – Avenue Gardens and Churchill Gardens – clocked 2,546 and 2,381 call-outs respectively.
In 2023, the council commissioned a review of the PDHU following rising maintenance bills and concerns about the state of its ageing infrastructure.
It is owned and run by Westminster City Council, which says the pipework is decades beyond its design life and as a result is plagued with leaks and insulation problems. A previous report showed £3.5m was spent on maintenance in 2023 while an average of 3,000 leaks and repair jobs were reported per annum over the previous two years.
It also found an estimated 30 to 40 per cent of the PDHU’s energy is lost due to poor thermal efficiency.
The LDRS understands the estate has historically poor sewerage flow and relies on pumps to dispose of its waste. These pumps are prone to failing.
According to Westminster City Council, the block in Nicholas’ toilet sewage system in March was cleared and evidence of wet wipes or similar were found by the contractor in the system.
According to the council, it responded within its emergency repair timescales and Nicholas was supported by staff at the time. Cllr Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services, said: “We take the claims made by residents seriously and have apologised for any stress and inconvenience caused.
“The council has a thorough complaints process, and we work hard to address all problems raised as quickly as possible. We know that there is a recurring issue with leaks across the estate that is causing disruption for residents.
“This is due to an ageing communal hot water and heating system that needs to be replaced and we’re working towards finding a more efficient, reliable and sustainable option.”
Kate Gascoigne, Chief Customer Officer at A2Dominion, said: “We are sorry for the distress that the ongoing issues with maintenance and repairs are causing the residents of Charlwood House. Westminster City Council own the building and manage our properties in the building on our behalf.
“We are meeting with Westminster City Council regularly to discuss the ongoing issues that residents are facing, we will be arranging a joint meeting with residents of Charlwood House. We will continue to monitor and work constructively with Westminster City Council to ensure that the ongoing issues in these homes are addressed.”
Lillington Gardens was developed in three phases between 1964 and 1972 and became the first post-war building in Britain to provide high-density housing in a medium-rise structure. It won the Housing Design Award in 1961, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Award for Good Design in 1970, a RIBA Award in 1970 and a RIBA Commendation in 1973.
In 1980, Longmoore Estate was built and sat alongside Lillington Gardens Estate. The estate currently houses some 2,000 residents.
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