A deceased woman lay undiscovered in her “swamp” flat for roughly four months despite a neighbour warning the council about her welfare.
Horrified residents at Borough’s Tabard Gardens Estate saw flies piling up in her window and leaks pour from her apartment over several months yet the council did nothing.
Finally discovered in January 2023, the tragic case saw Southwark Council accused of missing “opportunities to help her” and “burying its head in the sand”.
Exclusive: Woman living in “swamp” conditions found dead in Borough flat
Twelve months later, the woman’s identity still hasn’t been formally announced.
Old Southwark and Bermondsey MP Neil Coyle said: “I don’t get the sense it’s a priority for the council sadly.”
Father-of-two Jeffrey Boachie-Frimpong, who lived below the woman’s flat, first met the woman in March 2022.
He’d knocked on her door to discuss a leak coming from her flat into his and was “gobsmacked” by what he saw.
“I was greeted by a lady who was extremely distraught and explained her leak had been ongoing for many months previously,” he said. “She was living in what seemed to be a dirty swamp.”
Jeffrey and his wife contacted the council, begging them to “rehouse this poor woman”.
Southwark Council claims it visited the property and fixed the leak but the woman did not say she needed help.
Jeffrey says leaks reappeared from the flat above in September 2022 but Southwark Council couldn’t access her flat. It is believed the woman died around this time.
Jeffrey emailed the council again saying the council “need[s] to checks on the person living there… because I have knocked a few times and no one is ever in”.
Instead of being checked on, the woman is believed to have lain dead for another four months.
Finally, in January 2023, an emergency housing officer forced entry into the flat, struggling to open the door because of letters that had piled up, and discovered the decomposing body.
The discovery sparked outrage among local politicians who slammed the council.
Neil Coyle MP said: “They need to work out if they could have done more to fix those jobs sooner and whether they’re aware of any other opportunities to prevent these tragic circumstances.”
“The council needs to stop burying their heads in the sand,” he added.
Southwark Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain said: “Southwark Council have serious questions to answer about their failure to protect this resident and how they respond to concerns about the welfare of tenants.”
Tensions were further enflamed when Southwark Council admitted the woman had contacted it in July to express her concerns.
She said she had recently broken her leg, had lost her job and was worried about not being able to afford rent. The council’s response was to refer her to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
Southwark Council has said it is “deeply saddened” and is “supporting the police in establishing the exact circumstances”.
It also said it had commissioned an internal investigation to establish whether internal processes needed to change to prevent the situation happening again.
Twelve months on, the News is still awaiting confirmation of formal identification and the outcome of this investigation.
Robin Hewing, programme director at the Campaign to End Loneliness, said the council had a responsibility to help create “robust and sustainable communities”.
“Local authorities can make a big difference… they take a lot of the big decisions when it comes to what our neighbourhoods are like so they are really important,” he said.
Cllr Darren Merrill, Cabinet Member for Council Homes, said: “We take the death of every resident seriously and it is always very sad when someone is found in this way. Residents can live independent lives for many reasons and we are taking this opportunity to enhance training across council departments on how to spot if someone is isolated and what we can do to help.
“Our enquiries into this case found no fault in terms of practice nor breaches of council policies – the resident of the flat was not listed as vulnerable or on a system for regular welfare checks.”