Cockroach nightmare for neighbours of “disgusting” abandoned flat

An abandoned Gainsborough flat was left in a ‘disgusting state,’ neighbours claim, with a nearby resident saying it is “infested with cockroaches and god knows what else”.

The local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Lincolnite that “all of us current tenants have complained” to Platform Housing who run the apartments at Colonial Quarter on Marshall’s Rise. The company told The Lincolnite on October 14 that pest control treatment has now started.

The local resident said he initially went in to check on the welfare of a young child after a neighbour made him aware that a family had abandoned the property, so he wanted to check that everything was okay.

He went into the property on September 10 and told The Lincolnite: “On entry, the smell was disgusting and bugs were running where you stand. We moved through the property quickly due to the smell.

“The smell was disgusting as you can see [in the footage]…the fridge was left open with raw meat inside, so that on top of all the rubbish made it worse.

“As you walk through you could also see loads of fly catchers full of flies hanging from the ceiling, but the smell of the property is stinking out the entire building, as it’s coming through the vents. The smell hits you as you walk into the building.”

He added that someone from Platform Housing put up a notice of 30 days on the door in case the occupants returned. The resident claimed that on October 12 the company arrived with pest control, before being told a further 30 days to collect things from the building.

The resident said that the infestation is now worse and other properties in the apartment block have had pest control out, saying “this isn’t fair on them”.

He added: “From a parent’s side, my toddler can’t even walk down the stairs as we are worried what she might stand on.”

The Lincolnite contacted Platform Housing for a statement and Marion Duffy, Chief Operations Officer, said: “We are sorry about our customer’s infestation problem; unfortunately, we have been unable to gain access to the property until now.

“We are pleased to report however that we have been able to visit the property, have assessed the issues and pest control treatment has now commenced.”