Our lives are a "nightmare" in Salford tower blocks - there's rats, mice and we're sick of the noise

Thorn and Spruce Court, located off Belvedere Road, are still covered in scaffolding seven years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London, where 72 people died after a fire broke out in the building. Builders are expected to be working at the Salford tower blocks for another year at least, even though the cladding has already been removed – with jobs such as brick removal, concrete repairs, and installing sprinklers taking place since February.

The blocks are managed by Pendleton Together on behalf of Salford City Council, but people living there say they are “sick” of the constant sound of drilling. They told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there are other issues too, claiming the building is infested with rodents, dust from the work is spilling into their homes, and that workers are peering through windows at televisions.

One resident, who didn’t want his name published, said he has lived in Thorn Court for five years and looks after his two children in the building on the weekends.

He said: “It’s a nightmare, we’re sick of the noise, it’s been going on for years. There are cracks in the walls because of the work, we all think the building just needs pulling down but no one has listened to us.

“It’s full of rats and mice, we can’t make it a home with the way it is. I won’t even decorate my flat. Everyone here wants out. If this was London it would not be happening.”

A health worker who regularly visits the buildings said people living there have been left in “Dickensian” conditions.

They added: “I can only imagine the noise they have to put up with on a daily basis, alongside being unable to see out of the windows which are covered with mesh netting and dirt.

“One resident I visited had tradespeople peering through the windows of their home and watching TV while families and individuals are relaxing in their own homes with no respect at all for anyone’s privacy. It’s unbelievable that these residents haven’t been moved into temporary accommodation while the work is being carried out.”

Odair Mauricio, 43, has lived in Thorn Court since November 2016. He told the LDRS: “They’ve been working here for years, since before Covid. There’s a lot of noise because of it, people complain because of this and how long it is taking.”

Kevin Redmile, 59, has lived at Thorn Court for nine years. He said the work has been a “nightmare”, with dust seeping into flats and covering windows, and regular noise disturbance.

A total of nine blocks in Salford were refurbished as part of a £650m private finance initiative (PFI) to refurbish 1,250 homes in the area, carried out by Pendleton Together. The company said the completion date for work at Thorn Court and Spruce Court has been pushed back several times because of a lack of clarity over funding, as well as “supply chain issues” and the impact of the pandemic. But it accepted that the situation is “extremely difficult” for people living there, and apologised for the impact on their lives.

Caroline Grosvenor, group director for place shaping at Together Housing Group, said: “Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower seven years ago, we were amongst the first to commit to the removal and replacement of cladding. The works have been extremely difficult for our residents and we fully understand their frustrations and thank all of them for their patience.

“This work is essential to ensure we have a cladding system which is compliant with modern and future safety standards and our residents can feel safe in their homes. We are actively working with our contractors on an ongoing basis to identify matters that fall below the standards that are expected and address them immediately.

“Unfortunately, the works are by their nature intrusive and noisy. To mitigate this, we provide respite every day when the works are being undertaken at our respite room at Brotherton House or, on a case-by-case basis, in other locations.

“Work does not take place in the evenings, on bank holidays or weekends. We have appointed a team of resident liaison officers who work with residents to address any concerns they have and we would encourage all of the residents and professionals who have spoken to the LDRS to ensure they have also made their resident liaison officer aware of their concerns. They can email [email protected] or use the contact details on our website www.pendletontogether.co.uk.

“We understand why some residents may not want to stay during the works, however their homes are safe places to live and we have put in place support make things as comfortable as possible. If a resident has specific concerns around this, they should contact us immediately so we can speak to them about their individual situation.

“We are actively working with residents and pest control professionals to deal with concerns that have been raised and we ask any resident with concerns about pests to contact us immediately. Residents must be able to feel safe in their home and contractors watching TV through windows is entirely unacceptable behaviour.

“These residents should let their resident liaison officer know about this immediately so we can take up their concerns with the contractor urgently. We are sorry that residents feel frustrated and upset and, like them, we are keen for the works to be completed as soon as possible. However, the safety of our current and future residents is central to what we do and all this work is necessary to ensure their homes remain safe places to live for the long term.”