Damp smell, rotten woods and exposed wires: Residents of 2 high rise blocks in Merseyside stare homelessness amid chaos

At least 160 households of the two tower blocks Willow Rise and Beech Rise in Kirkby, Merseyside are staring homelessness after the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service declared both buildings unsafe for residents due to several major issues including fire and structural risks.

The situation has reached up to a limit that the MFRS are preparing to serve a rare prohibition notice that will force all residents to vacate the blocks immediately. According to Sky News, the situation is extremely bad and is getting worse with passage of time.

From overpowering damp smells, water stains, rotting wood to exposed wires and broken lifts the deteriorating situation has put lives of people resident there in jeopardy. Water leaks are pouring straight onto fuse boxes and electrical wiring.


The situation got out of hand following years of neglect and failed maintenance by management companies, and agents who left the two blocks in disrepair.

£3,000-a-day maintenance cost keeps block afloat

The two tower blocks are costing around £3,000 per day ($ 3,421) to keep them safe, a senior local authority official said, BBC reported. Beech Rise and Willow Rise in Kirkby have been using a "waking watch" service after they were found to be in breach of fire safety regulations.

Following the termination of contract by the flat’s management company, Knowsley Council came forward to pay for the scheme until the flats are vacated.

Residents Narrate Ordeal

Sky News spoke to several hapless residents who narrated their ordeal after being left with tears in their eyes. Chris Penfold-Ivany who lives on the 13th floor of Willow Rise block dubs his situation as 'a catastrophic scandal'. He suffers from terminal cancer. After chemotherapy and a liver transplant, that climb is now the only way he can get up to his flat as the lifts are completely out of order.

Speaking about his situation, Chris told Sky News that prevailing chaos is “making him breathless”. He can no longer receive the delivery of his prescriptions as the drivers will not climb the stairs to the 13th floor. "It's a catastrophic scandal that we have been left like this," he said. Chris has been residing here for 15 years now. He said that several complaints have achieved nothing.

Another resident living a few floors down, Arunee Leerasiri sobbing in tears. Amid stress and anxiety, she was packing up her stuff just three years after putting her life savings into buying this flat.

"I can't eat, I can't sleep," the woman told Sky News. "Sometimes, if I'm honest, I can't even think. This used to be my home, and now I look around and I don't even recognise it," she added. "Nobody can live like this," she adds.

The woman showed a video she recorded just a few weeks ago, of one of the electrical risers on the ground floor. Water was seen pouring through the ceiling, directly on to fuse boxes and electrical wiring.

With time running out and people’s life on the edge, the Knowsley Council has said that discussions are ongoing with the government about whether any additional help - or money - can be provided to try and fix the prevailing chaos.