A single mother-of-five living in temporary accommodation has criticised Enfield Council after a ceiling in her Walthamstow home suddenly collapsed, reports Marco Marcelline
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, who has been living there with her young children since September 2025, says that part of the living room ceiling fell down on Saturday, 31st October, leaving rubble and debris scattered across the floor.
Anna* claims that while attempting to clear up the damage, another section of the ceiling came down and struck her.
Photographs show extensive damage to the ceiling, with debris covering much of the living room.
Anna told the Echo the incident had left her “deeply concerned” about the safety of her children, saying she no longer felt safe in the property.
She said: “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.
“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 her five children are under the age of three, and her one-year-old son suffers from breathing difficulties, having undergone heart surgery in the past.
Because of her son’s health problems and sensitivity to dust, she has asked that Enfield Council house the family in suitable accommodation 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 been living in various temporary housing provided by Enfield Council while awaiting longer-term housing for the past nine years.
When contacted for comment, Enfield Council responded that it was “continuing to work” with Anna to identify 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.
“Following reports of damage at the family’s current accommodation, a council officer inspected the property on Thursday, 5th November and identified repairs that need to be undertaken.
“The managing agent has been asked to carry out the work, and arrangements have been offered for the family to be away from the property while this takes place.
“The suitability of the family’s accommodation is under review.”
The Echo understands that a hotel in Cheshunt had been offered to the family while repair work was carried out but the mother refused it.
Explaining why she refused the hotel offer, Anna said: “I have five children, rely on public transport and need access to kitchen facilities. My older child also needs to maintain his school attendance.
“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 adds that she was subsequently told by council officers that a referral to social services may be made if she did not go ahead with allowing contractors to do repairs even if her children were present in the property – a move she described as “intimidating” and “unacceptable”.
Enfield Council said that it was “reviewing concerns about how safeguarding matters were communicated in this case”, adding: “Safeguarding procedures should not discourage residents from raising legitimate concerns about the safety of their accommodation.”
*Name changed to protect anonymity
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