Trapped inside a working scrap yard and surrounded by mounds of litter and abandoned cars – this is the damp south London flat which was offered to a homeless family by a local council.
Shocking pictures lay bare the grim one-bedroom home which Lewisham Council believed was acceptable for a father and his three children.
The tiny flat, which can only accessed through an industrial estate, backs onto a chicken shop in Bellingham, south London.
The father-of-three who was offered the flat revealed his shock when he came to view the property and discovered it was surrounded by a burnt out car, discarded rubbish and needles.
When MailOnline visited the flat, which is tucked away down a side road, we found the yard was filled with lorries, skips and huge mounds of scrap.
The flat (pictured) has one bedroom and was allegedly filled with mould and damp
Opposite the grim flat is a yard filled with discarded mattresses and plastic chairs
In front of the property is a burnt out car stuffed with tyres in the back. It had ploughed into a mirror
There was also litter left rotting near to the flat, while the father said he found needles
The flat looks out onto dozens of discarded mattresses and plastic chairs stacked up in a caged off yard.
Meanwhile there is also a burnt out car stuffed with tyres which has ploughed into a glass mirror.
In the corner of the yard, there is a massive cherry picker with the words ‘In rust we trust’ daubed on it.
The flat itself is next to a shack with scaffolding around it.
And the father claimed there was mould and damp inside the property when he came to view it – with two beds to share between four.
The father told the Local Democracy Reporting service: ‘When I came to view the flat, I couldn’t believe it.
‘I thought it was going to be on the main road but it was down a side road on an industrial estate with a working scrap yard.
The father has since been moved to new accommodation after raising concerns over the flat
Pictured is the scaffolding next to the flat, with the abandoned car also visible
In the corner of the yard is a giant cherry picker which is used to fill up the mounds of scrap
‘There were lorries coming up and down, a burnt out car, and discarded rubbish and needles there.
‘The house itself had all mould on the outside and it was damp. They’d just done a quick paint over the walls on the inside.
‘There were two beds and there’s four of us so god knows where they expected us to sleep. And it was forty minutes from my two younger daughters’ school.’
Lewisham Council said ‘sorry’ that the flat did not meet acceptable standards and said the father has since accepted alternative accommodation found by the local authority.
A council spokesperson said: ‘We have offered alternative suitable accommodation to Mr Hatch which he has accepted.
‘Due to the emergency nature of temporary accommodation bookings, it is not always possible for the Council to inspect these properties in person prior to the offer.
‘We carry out a desktop health and safety check and have an inspection programme that focuses on inspections of nightly-paid accommodation with tenants in situ.
The tiny flat, which can only accessed through an industrial estate, backs onto a chicken shop in Bellingham, south London
The cherry picker and scaffolding are next toe flat, which would have been extremely noisy due to all the work being carried out
Pictured is the entrance to the scrap metal site, which the flat is next to
‘On this occasion, we did visit the property after Mr Hatch’s complaint. We are sorry that the accommodation initially offered to Mr Hatch did not meet acceptable standards.
‘We will be meeting with the accommodation provider and will not offer this accommodation until areas of concern are resolved.
‘Along with all London boroughs, we are facing an acute housing crisis and increasing challenges sourcing temporary accommodation.
We are currently supporting more than 2,900 families and individuals in temporary accommodation and there are 11,000 households on our housing register waiting for permanent housing.
‘We are striving to improve the standards of temporary accommodation in the borough and continue building new homes as well as buying and refurbishing homes.’