A housing association has taken a month to begin repairing the partially collapsed ceiling of an apartment block in Ham.

Worried residents said water has been dripping from the large hole left in the ceiling of the building on Stuart Road onto the stairs below as it has not been boarded up since the incident on 26 September.

The partial ceiling collapse in the block on Stuart Road, Ham (pictured on 23 October)(Credit: Charlotte Lillywhite/LDRS)

Residents said they had been left in the dark by Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP), which manages the block, about the incident.

They raised concerns about the safety of the building, which houses elderly residents including 99-year-old Ruth Guy and 84-year-old Brenda Gleeson on the top floor closest to where part of the ceiling caved in.

Annemarie Fenlon, RHP's Executive Director of Operations, said she was sorry the housing association's communication with residents had 'fallen short' and left 'some feeling unsafe and concerned'.

She said RHP's emergency repairs team responded on the day of the ceiling collapse to clear debris and 'make it safe' until it could be repaired fully, with these works beginning on 30 October.

Ms Fenlon added the hole above the stairs was not boarded up as workers needed scaffolding for this, but that it was "made safe".

An opening in the ceiling which RHP subsequently made to inspect the roof, residents claimed, was covered over.

Ms Gleeson lives with her two sons, aged 52 and 54, in the top-floor flat next to where the ceiling partially collapsed.

She said the incident followed at least two years of her family reporting significant damp in their flat to RHP.

Ms Gleeson said water runs down the walls of the living room and kitchen when it rains, which can also cause a crack in the kitchen ceiling to leak.

The damp causes mould in the flat, she added, which she tries to keep on top of by airing the rooms and using a dehumidifier.

Damp in Brenda Gleeson\'s living room (Credit: Charlotte Lillywhite/LDRS)

When the ceiling of the block's communal hallway partially collapsed over the stairs in September, Ms Gleeson described fearing for her safety as she questioned the stability of her home.

"There's our loft there right beside it," she said.

"Our loft could be drenched… that could all come down on top of us."

Ms Gleeson was among residents who said their concerns about the incident only grew when they struggled to get through to RHP to report it.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I was on the phone for 40 minutes before I got through to them and then I said can I speak to somebody in charge because it's not the person on the phone's fault, and he said that will happen within three working days. I'm still waiting."

She added: "Since this, it's just opened my eyes. You hear all these things on the television, those poor people with black mould literally everywhere, and you think goodness gracious surely somebody does something, but of course when it hits home, you realise that they don't care."

Sarah Carson, 42, said she felt ignored by RHP and less safe in the block.

She said: "I told [RHP] numerous times, I said there's vulnerable ladies upstairs, there's kids just down the stairwell at the bottom there where it all collapsed in… you just heard a massive crack and bang and it all went down there."

Sarah Carson, 42, next to the partial ceiling collapse in the block on Stuart Road, Ham (pictured on 23 October) (Credit: Charlotte Lillywhite/LDRS)

Ms Carson added: "Every now and then when it starts heavily raining again, I have to put the wet sign on the bottom floor because it trickles down the stairwell and then floods at the bottom step."

Residents called on RHP to improve its communication with them, properly inspect the roof and carry out full repairs urgently.

Ms Fenlon said: "For reassurance, our emergency repairs team responded within hours of the ceiling collapse first being reported and cleared the debris to make it safe until it can be repaired fully. Subsequently, part of the area was boarded up.

"The area above the stairwell was not boarded as it requires scaffolding to do this, however it was still made safe as the rafters internally were checked and any debris hanging down was removed.

"However, I appreciate this wasn't fully communicated and some residents who took the time to contact us struggled to get through to our customer services team. We're making every effort to speed up our response times and improvements are being made with more staff being recruited."

Ms Fenlon said RHP's 'highest priority' is the safety of its customers, and that it will learn from the incident to improve how it communicates communal repairs in the future.

She said: "As a first step, we've written to all affected residents to explain the repair works already in progress, which include a drone survey, roof repairs and a team of abseilers to inspect the roof's condition, all starting from Wednesday last week (30 October).

"Once the roof works are complete and the area is dry, the hole in the ceiling will be repaired fully. We are working to get this done as soon as possible.

"A building surveyor completed an independent roof survey in 2019, which advised replacement of the pitched roof in 2026.

"The survey also assessed the roof's condition and looked at risks and hazards due to age (79 years) and condition.

"At this time, no concerns were raised by the surveyor. However, as part of the repair works, these will be assessed again, and any concerns will be addressed as part of the repairs."

Ms Fenlon said RHP's repairs manager has contacted Ms Gleeson to apologise for its "lack of communication regarding their concerns about damp and mould in their home' and to 'update them on planned priority repair works".

She added residents concerned about damp and mould can visit RHP's website or call it on 0800 032 2433.