Shade Quadri at Gillfoot

TENANTS got an unwanted sense of deja vu this week when hot water started cascading down from the very top of a tower block all the way to the bottom.

The London Fire Brigade were called to reports of a leak at 20-storey Gillfoot building in the Ampthill Estate, Mornington Crescent, on Thursday night. The block was transformed into a “waterpark”, said residents, while the 16th to the 20th floors were plunged into darkness for more than 24 hours. The lifts were shut down with residents told they would not be fixed until Tuesday.

Shade Quadri, who lives in the tower, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was hot water that was coming down initially, so when you opened the doors to the communal area, it was like a sauna.

“It was so slippery and very dangerous and was falling far too close to electrical boxes. It was cascading down, it was like a waterpark.

“People were unable to go to work. This is a lot of pressure, and it affects your quality of life. You feel like there is nothing you can really do. If you had furniture or shopping coming this weekend you had to cancel it. If you wanted to go out but relied on the lift you had to stay in.

“I’m very worried about the structural integrity of the building. The first time it happened I asked the council for surveyor reports and inspections, and they said they couldn’t give me that.

“You chase them and call them but they make you feel like the problem.”

Water from the leak hits the staircase

Ms Quadri said that, aside from the leak, the problems in the Ampthill Estate felt endless, including regular flytipping, drug users in the stairwells, a broken intercom and gate system and the lifts that were regularly out of action.

Following a previous flooding incident in May, Ms Quadri complained to the council, highlighting concerns about the safety of the building and whether electrical hazards had been considered.

“Camden upheld their response that they did everything they could the last time it happened. I don’t believe that for a second,” said Ms Quadri. “If they did, it wouldn’t have happened again.

“The council does not listen, but they haven’t done what they are supposed to do. They just signpost you to the ombudsman, and that’s it.”

Gillfoot on the Ampthill Square Estate

The London Fire Brigade confirmed one fire engine attended the block in Hampstead Road at 6.37pm.

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We are sorry for the disruption caused by this significant leak which came from the water supply pipe in the boiler room.

“On the day this happened, we firstly stopped the leak by repairing the fitting in the pipe, and then moved on to clearing the water from the building and putting in temporary lighting while we worked to get the electricity up and running.

“All lights are now working and we have got one of the lifts back in service, but we are waiting on replacement parts to arrive before we can get the second lift working.

“We were at the estate over the weekend helping residents, including carrying their shopping upstairs and making sure they could get in and out of their homes.”