Squatters have been accused of leaving a disused care home in a “disgusting” condition after they were turfed out by security guards on Friday, April 1.
Elmington Estate resident Fred Rowley said he watched up to 40 squatters hurling abuse as they were cleared out of the former Camberwell Green Nursing Home building.
“I watched for a bit while they were ‘demonstrating’ – basically shouting at the security officers and calling them fascists,” said Fred.
“The security guards were all wearing black helmets, so they must have expected some trouble.
“They had only been there three or four weeks, but I spoke to a few security guards who told me they have left a terrible mess inside.
“On Friday they were all outside with shopping trollies full of things like TVs, radios and roll-up beds, and some of the trollies have still been left there.
“They told me Battersea Dogs’ Home is cleaner than what they found in there. They had just destroyed the bloody place.”
The 66-year-old first spotted squatters breaking in an out of the empty building a month ago and they have caused a nuisance for the estate’s residents ever since, he said.
“They used to let their dogs loose on our estate and let them go all over our gardens and just leave it for us to pick up,” said Fred.
“We’re glad they’re gone. It’s a shame as well because it’s a nice new building and they have destroyed it.”
The nursing home was formerly run by private care company HC One.
Southwark Council put an embargo on the care home last year, and it was placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission before HC One announced its closure on October 4.
A spokeswoman for HC One said: “We worked with the relevant authorities to safely remove a number of squatters from the building.
“Additional security is now in place and work will be undertaken to repair any damage. We are in the process of making a decision on the future of the building.”