Maria Fernanda Sena

By BEATRICE COATES

RESIDENTS at a council tower block in Kilburn were left trapped in their flats over the weekend with no water or heating.

The lifts in Mary Green block broke on Saturday – the same day as an electrical fault cut off water and heating to all 102 flats.

Maria Fernanda Sena, 81, who lives alone on the 19th floor, was unable to leave her flat until Monday afternoon.

She said: “I tried to have a shower on Saturday whilst the water was working. I was washing my hair when suddenly it stopped. And after that – no water, nothing.

“There was not heating at all, no working lifts. I used to come up and down using the stairs but my back’s been bad. I haven’t been outside since Friday – with no lift I can’t. Camden [Council] didn’t say anything to anyone, they should have said something about the problem.”

Residents told the New Journal that Camden Council delivered two bottles of water to each household on Sunday.

Mary Green is a council block located on Abbey Road, between South Hampstead and Kilburn tube stations.

Ms Sena, who has lived in Mary Green for 38 years, said this was the longest period she had been without water.

With temperatures as low as five degrees over the weekend, she worried she would get sick.

She said: “I just went to bed because I felt so bad with the cold in my body. I’m going to be 82 soon. I fell last week on the bus and hurt myself. The lifts break a lot.”

She added that her neighbours had been bringing her extra water.

Ms Sena moved to London from Portugal in 1972 and worked as a live-in housekeeper in Swiss Cottage for 15 years.

Residents said they were worried for vulnerable people in the building such as those with disabilities, the elderly and young families.

The cause of the water and heating disruption is still unclear, but residents believe it stemmed from an internal electrical fault.

Contractors arrived on Sunday and the water, heating and lifts were restored by Monday afternoon.

Residents told the New Journal that the broken lift is a recurring problem in Mary Green.

Arun Kumar, chair of the Mary Green Tenants Residents’ Association and Vice-Chair of the Hampstead District Management Committee said: “It was very unfortunate but there was a response from [Camden Council].

“There were officers sent in to check on residents to see if there were any issues on Sunday. They knocked on all the doors to check on the residents.”

Mr Kumar, who has lived on the estate for six years, praised the efforts of residents to help one another. He said: “It did bring the community together, some residents got upset which is understandable. It’s a really nice place to live – there is a bit of a community. People do nice things together, and they also get upset together.

“We have our ups and downs and difficult times like many other estates, but I love when the community comes together to try to solve problems like this.”

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “The safety and comfort of all our residents is our priority, and we would like to sincerely apologise for the disruption and time this took to rectify last weekend.

“The issue was caused by an electrical fault in the building’s ventilation system, which resulted in the loss of several electrical services, including lifts, water pumps, heating, and communal lighting on the upper floors.

“As soon as we were made aware of the situation, we sent staff to support residents and any vulnerable households with their specific needs while the repairs took place as a matter of urgency. We supplied and distributed bottled water to residents and remained on site to provide any support needed until the repairs were completed in the early hours of Monday morning.

“We are also very grateful for the support received from the tenants and residents association over the weekend.”