The plight of the Ledbury Estate residents living in fear of a gas explosion is massively frustrating.
This is the story of five decades of neglect. A report by structural surveyors Arup confirmed strengthening works – which should have been carried out countrywide on tower blocks after the Ronan Point collapse of 1968 – never took place on the Ledbury Estate. And it confirmed that gas pipes should never have been fitted.
Obviously 50 years down the line during a huge housing crisis in London, the job for Southwark Council is now extremely difficult.
But with reports of contractors not turning up to install immersion heaters for those remaining in the four towers and a lack of communication about the right to return, it just makes a bad situation ten times worse.
At a meeting this week, the council held its hands up about these problems and vowed to solve them. But no timescale appears to be given. Given the wait residents have had to already endure, this should be done without delay.