Shelves for the post were yanked out of the wall

• I KNOW that the Grenfell Tower fire was a tragic disaster, and I understand the importance of ensuring future fire safety, however, I am bewildered by the heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all, way new regulations are being interpreted and carried out.

I am a Camden Council tenant in a Victorian conversion consisting of four flats, three of which are reached via the main front-door entrance.

When I first came to this house 22 years ago, post and junk mail would pile up on the floor because there was nowhere to store it.

I fixed a small three-shelf unit to the wall in the main hallway, which allowed post, leaflets, journals etc to be sorted, stored, and easily collected by residents. The residents of all three flats were very pleased with this arrangement (see above).

About a month ago, an inspector came to examine the communal areas. He told me I would have to remove my bicycle from the spacious landing outside my flat (even though I stored it high out of the way by means of a pulley). He also told me that the shelves for the post in the entrance hall would be allowed to stay, which was a relief.

I was therefore dismayed to learn that while I was visiting my mother in Ireland last week, even the shelves for the post had been yanked out of the wall.

Because I had been warned about the bicycle, I have been storing it inside the studio flat I share with my husband, but it’s extraordinary that I cannot safely store my bicycle (a form of transport the council surely wish to encourage) anywhere but inside our crammed flat.

Can anyone throw light on how the present situation – post etc piling up once more on the floor – is safer than having in place the small shelf unit that has now been torn off the wall?

MARY BROWN
Address supplied