Couple desperate to escape from filthy apartments where people are ‘defecating on the floor’

Louise Turner and partner Angela Dexter also spent a month asking Sandwell Council for a disabled parking space but there was no action

A couple is desperate to vacate their council flat, where people are “defecating on the floor” and the property stinks of “urine and weeds.”

Louise Turner and her partner Angela Dexter claim the place is like a “zoo” and they are dying to move.

Parking in the area is a nightmare, she says, because untaxed cars are “dumped in lots.”

She also claims that the only elevator in the skyscraper keeps getting stuck and she no longer uses it.

Her disabled partner Angela relies on it to get to her third floor apartment.

BirminghamLive reports how the couple have been asking Sandwell Council for a disabled parking space for a month but nothing has been done.

Ms Turner, who works as a recovery administrator, has failed to act on a number of issues – including parking and noise complaints – by the authority.

She also claimed there was a murder near the block of flats last year – referring to the death of Jack Barry, 19, who was stabbed in the chest on West Road, where Allen House is located .

When asked about several issues at the property, she told BlackCountryLive: “The situation is awful, it’s like living in a zoo. It has been going on since me and my partner moved in December 2019.

“Me and my partner work for a living. I can’t sleep at night, my anxiety is through the roof. Every sound I hear makes me panic.

“My partner is a little more smug, but it’s like you’re living in fear. You can’t calm down.”

She continued: “You have nowhere to park your cars. You already have to park twice. It has already cost us £250 to put a dent in the very spot where someone hit my car overnight.

“I’m still waiting for an answer about disability rights, my partner has a blue sticker, she is registered as a severely disabled person, she is only allowed to carry out certain activities.

“We both work 12-hour shifts. We leave the house at 5:15 am and don’t come back until 7:30 pm. There is no parking, we have to park outside the apartments.

“There are 10 places for people – three of them are taken by cars that haven’t moved for three months. I’ve been tracking them for months, they’re finally being taxed now.

“They were dumped here, the tires are flat, the windows are starting to crack. They must be removed to allow tenants paying for the parking spaces to park.

“I can’t even get an email from the Council – let alone anyone else.”

Her partner, Ms Dexter, is disabled, suffers from ‘vertigo’ and is unable to use the stairs after an accident at work 17 years ago that bruised her shoulders and injured her knee.

That means she can only use the elevator to get to her front door, though it “always breaks down.”

“There’s only one elevator, but someone gets stuck in it every day,” Ms Turner said. “I won’t use it anymore because I got stuck in it before.

“The elevator stinks. He’s dirty. Someone urinates or spits into it.

“There were times when there was human feces on the ground floor. It’s awful, honestly, it’s like living in a zoo.

“Some days you can’t even go to work, let alone drive your car that’s parked a mile away.”

Drug use is common, Ms Turner says, particularly cannabis, meaning the couple “can’t open their windows because of the smell”.

She said: “I can’t even open my doors and windows because of the smoke.

“That’s the last thing I want to smell when I’m trying to eat my tea. There are drug deals in the parking lot every night.

“I have brought this to the attention of the council and the police, but I am getting nowhere.”

Ms Turner says she and her partner are in a “desperate” situation and try to bid on a new council property each week. Ms. Turner and Ms. Dexter want a two-bedroom bungalow, but they say there’s high demand and fear they’ll be waiting a while before they can move out.

Councilor Charn Singh Padda, Cabinet Member for the Housing Authority said: “Sandwell Council officials are working with tenants on the issues they raise.

“An application for a barrier-free parking space is being examined.

“The elevator is regularly cleaned and serviced. The complaints about neighbors are the subject of an ongoing investigation and further action may be taken to resolve the matter.

“The municipality has given priority to the request for a change of residence. However, the speed at which tenants can be re-accommodated depends on the availability of suitable properties.”