Inside the battle to save an award-winning building now crumbling from neglect

When 73-year-old pensioner Pat Findley moved into Lillington and Longmoore Gardens before the turn of the millennium, she was ecstatic.

The 1970s grade-II listed estate in Pimlico, with around 1,000 homes, was an award-winning complex boasting “beautiful” brutalist architecture and a quaint garden room at its centre. The council was attentive; the community was close-knit.

But fast forward three decades, and Ms Findley says she feels like she’s “at war”.

In the past year, roofs have collapsed, flats have flooded, residents have been hospitalised by scalding or “contaminated” water, and sewage pipes have burst, causing the smell of faeces to permeate through the estate. Ms Findley says there is a new issue “every three months”. Her own flat is infested with woodlice.

Families have been evacuated, and residents have been left sleep-deprived and struggling to work after failed attempts to fix leaks and persistent mould.

A recent freedom of information request found that the estate needed 2,086 plumbing repairs between January 2020 and March 2025. The estate has since been nicknamed “leaky Lillington”.

Leaseholders, nevertheless, have seen their maintenance bills skyrocket, as they foot half the costs of the council’s decisions.

But Westminster Council, she says, which owns and manages the estate, is stubborn in the face of the residents’ complaints. One leaseholder, who asked to be anonymous out of fear for reprisal from the council, put it plainly: “The council see us as the enemy.”

The council has dismissed these allegations, saying it has a “thorough complaints process” and that it has “apologised for any stress caused”. When asked about the specific issue of leaking, a spokesperson claimed it was due to “an ageing communal hot water and heating system that needs to be replaced”, adding that the council was “working towards finding a more efficient, reliable and sustainable option”.

Its acceptance of problems notwithstanding, the council received top marks when the housing regulator inspected the estate in February this year. This prompted at least 55 residents to co-sign a letter disputing the result to Labour deputy prime minister Angela Rayner. They accused the council and the regulator of “marking their own homework”. A response from Ms Rayner’s team, three months later, directed the residents to make a complaint to Westminster Council.

Now, Ms Findley says she wishes she had “never moved into that plot in the first place”.

“They don’t give a toss and we’re treated like dirt,” she says. “I don’t need the stress any more. It’s grinding me down.”

The only relief is the community of residents that have rallied around one another.

In the time that Ms Findley has lived in Lillington, social housing across the UK has fallen into disrepair following chronic underinvestment and neglect, as the central government has shifted the burden of responsibility for these homes onto less well-funded local councils.

When The Independent visited the estate and spoke to residents from houses across the complex, one theme was common: Lillington and Longmoore Gardens is dangerous and a disaster is waiting to happen. London Fire Brigade last year raised concerns with Westminster Council about safety issues in the estate.

Many of the residents asked to be quoted anonymously because they feared repercussions, even eviction. Ernest Stafford, from the residents’ association, urged the council to reassure residents that they are allowed to voice concerns about the estate without fear of being evicted. However, the council reportedly declined to intervene, prompting accusations from the residents that the council was “quite happy to intimidate” people into silence.

One resident, a mother of three, says she is “extremely concerned” by the council’s lackadaisical approach to dangerous situations. She has spent the past year battling a repeatedly collapsing and leaking ceiling in her flat. “My life can’t get any worse than it is, sadly,” she says. “I’ve been through it all.”

She describes an incident in January in which the block’s fuse box was left on fire after an electrician contracted by the council declined to properly investigate why the lights in several flats were flickering. The blazing box was discovered by an employee of UK Power Networks after the resident called for help.

“I dread to think what might have happened if they hadn’t come when they did,” she says, adding that her block is full of vulnerable and elderly people. “It posed a real and serious danger to the safety of everyone in the building.”

Another resident in a different house in the estate says she “suffered long periods of sleep deprivation and stress” after the roof on her building began badly leaking, partially flooding her flat. A poor repair meant the leaking persisted for years. A previous leak in her flat took months for the council to fix.

“I have never felt the council take into account the impact of their poor repairs processes on residents’ day-to-day life and wellbeing,” she says. “There was generally little sense of urgency or understanding of my issues, it was just another job number to them.”

Underscoring what the residents say is apathy from the council is the poor management of costs and a lack of accountability and transparency.

The role of head of repairs for Westminster Council has changed four times in the last two years, stifling attempts to remedy the issues with repairs. An advert placed for the role last year, listing the salary as up to £120,000, further upset the residents.

A leaseholder in another building provided documents that showed her maintenance costs had doubled to nearly £7,000 in just a few years.

Included in those costs was a bill to be paid by all the leaseholders of that block for £8,300, to cover the insurance and maintenance of the lifts. She said she had not seen a single lift operator tending to the elevators since she moved in.

“If the contractor says they have to do something, the council just says yes,” she says. “There is no traceability of any kind.”

Ed Pitt Ford, the Conservative councillor for Pimlico North, says the current Labour council, in place since 2022, is “wasting a huge amount of money” without oversight.

“It feels like the contractors are operating unsupervised, the contracts are not being managed and hence a huge amount of money is being wasted,” he says.

UK could see half a month’s rainfall in under 24 hours

Parts of the UK could be battered with half a month’s worth of rainfall in less than a day, the Met Office warned.

The forecaster said Northern Ireland could experience some of the worst of a heavy spell of rainfall on Sunday evening into Monday.

It comes as new amber-level rain warnings were put in place for the eastern counties of Northern Ireland, as well as several counties south of the border.

The warning applies for Antrim, Armagh and Down between 11pm on Sunday until 8am on Monday. But as there remains some uncertainty regarding the extent of the heaviest rain, a wider yellow weather warning for rain remains in place in Northern Ireland from 6pm on Sunday to 6pm on Monday.

The expected rainfall carries a risk of flooding, power cuts and dangerous driving conditions. Forecasters also warn there is a small chance that some communities could be cut off by flooded roads, while fast-flowing or deep floodwater could pose a danger to life.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “It looks like Northern Ireland is the place where we could see the most rainfall and certainly the most impactful rainfall. They could see 50 to 75mm of rain within 12 to 18 hours.”

The region records an average of 89mm of rain in July, meaning more than half a month’s rainfall could hit Northern Ireland in less than a day.

Chief meteorologist Andy Page added: “This high intensity rainfall can lead to flooding, with impacts on properties, transport networks and power outages.

“The heavy rain comes at the start of a new working week, so expect disruption to the Monday morning commute and check the flood risk in your area to protect your property.”

A yellow-level thunderstorm warning was in place for the western half of Northern Ireland between midday and 8pm on Sunday.

Across much of Wales and south-west England, the Met Office warned of a “danger to life” as thunderstorms were forecast in the regions on Sunday.

On Monday, the thunderstorm warning moves to much of Scotland and England. It is in place between 3am and 9pm.

Rain continues to affect Scotland and Northern Ireland overnight, while further heavy showers spread into the South, but drier with clear spells across Wales and central England. Feeling fresher in the South, but remaining rather muggy for northern areas.

Another cloudy, damp start, particularly for the South East and across Northern Ireland. Brighter elsewhere, though showers soon return: heavy, thundery, and with a risk of hail by the afternoon.

Sunny spells and scattered showers remain the theme this week as low pressure continues to bring unsettled conditions. Less showers, more sunshine by Thursday, with temperatures around the seasonal average.

Four remain in hospital after Somerset school bus crash

Four people are still in hospital after a school bus crashed in Somerset on Thursday, police said in an update.

A 10-year-old boy died after the bus left the A396 at Cutcombe Hill near Minehead and slid down a 20ft slope.

Between 60 and 70 people were on board the bus, which was heading back to Minehead Middle School after a day trip for year 5 classes to Exmoor Zoo.

Two children were taken to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children by air ambulance following the incident, while four other children and three adults were taken to hospital in Somerset.

On Sunday, Avon and Somerset police said two children remained in hospital in Bristol and two adults were still in hospital in Somerset.

Minehead Middle School, which caters for pupils aged between nine and 14, and is five days away from the end of term, remained closed on Friday.

A stream of people went to the school to pay respects the day after the crash, leaving dozens of floral tributes, balloons and messages at the gates.

Many were visibly upset and could be seen hugging and supporting each other.

Speaking outside the school gates, the Rev Philip Butcher, the vicar of Minehead, said the community was in shock.

“It was absolutely numbing, there are no words to describe what happened yesterday,” he said.

“It’s an absolute tragedy, and one that’s still very much unfolding. We’re just standing firm with the school, with the families at this time, just to be with them in this time as a point of support.”

Fundraisers have also been set up for affected families, which have raised tens of thousands of pounds so far.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer issued a statement after the crash, saying: “There are no adequate words to acknowledge the death of a child. All my thoughts are with their parents, family and friends, and all those affected.”

Water sports park shut as police search for missing woman in Cheshire

A water sports park has been shut as police search for a missing woman last seen in a petrol station in Cheshire.

Cheshire Police are appealing for help from the public to find Rachel Booth, 38, who was reported missing on Saturday 19 July after last being seen in the Barnton area of Northwich.

She was last sighted at around 3.50am on Saturday at the Sandiway Garage on the A556.

She is described as 5’ 9” tall, of a slim build, with blonde hair, and is believed to be wearing black leggings and a black top.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police told the Northwhich Guardian that officers were conducting enquiries in the village of Oakmere as part of their enquiries.

A nearby water-sports park, Wildshore Delamere, said it was closed until further notice due to “ongoing police investigations in the surrounding area”.

A notice on their website read: “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

“The incident is unrelated to Wild Shore – however we wish to help as much as possible.

“If your booking is affected by this closure, please contact our customer services team or head online to your account. We’ll be happy to arrange a refund or reschedule your session for a later date. Thank you for your understanding.”

Inspector James Wilson said: “We are currently conducting a number of enquiries to trace Rachel and we are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare.

“Anyone who has seen Rachel since she was reported missing is asked to contact us. The same goes for anyone who has any information on her whereabouts.

“We would also like to appeal directly to Rachel to get in touch to let us know you are OK.

You can report information to Cheshire Police via 101 or through www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us quoting IML-2136439.

Inquiry launched after names of SAS soldiers leaked in fresh breach

Army leaders have launched an inquiry after the identities of soldiers in the SAS were revealed in a fresh data breach.

Details about the elite unit, part of the UK special forces, are usually kept so secret that its members are barred for life from discussing their involvement unless they receive prior approval.

News of the breach comes just days after it emerged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had taken out an unprecedented superinjunction after up to 100,000 lives were put at risk of reprisals from the Taliban in a catastrophic data leak.

Around 18,700 Afghans who applied for sanctuary in Britain following the withdrawal of Western forces in 2021 had their names and contact details exposed after an MoD official emailed a secret database to trusted contacts in February 2022. A number of SAS members and MI6 operatives were also compromised in the major leak.

In yet another data lapse, The Sunday Times reported that details of at least 20 special forces soldiers recruited from the Grenadier Guards have been publicly available online for a decade.

In response, General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the army, has ordered an “immediate review” of the data-sharing arrangements that led to the incident.

At least 20 SAS members have been named by two different regimental publications over more than a decade, according to the newspaper.

The Grenadier Guards’ in-house publication included a roll call of the names and current deployments of its most senior officers.

In the latest edition, published last year and available online, the names of 10 men in the regiment allegedly appeared next to the codename “MAB” – shorthand for MoD A Block, which is the site of the UK special forces headquarters at the Regent’s Park Barracks in London.

The codename is well known in military circles and means enemies would know which soldiers were linked to an elite unit.

The breaches were first reported in April, and while another regiment removed similar publications, the remaining information on the Guards was only taken down on Friday.

Those whose details were compromised have been notified and protected, it is understood.

Gen Walker said: “The security of our people is of the utmost importance and we take any breach extremely seriously.

“[As a result of this incident,] I have directed an immediate review into our data sharing arrangements with our regimental and corps associations to ensure appropriate guidance and safeguards are in place to best support the vital work they do.”

The Independent approached the MoD for further comment.

When my friends were facing cancer, a community of people stepped up

When I was younger, I used to worry incessantly about my parents getting cancer. I’d lay awake at night, ruminating on what would happen to my brother and I if they did. Who would support us? Thankfully, both are still cancer-free, well into their seventies.

However, now that I’m a parent myself, I worry about my children. Many people believe that cancer only really happens to people in old age, but that’s just not true. One beloved friend’s daughter died of leukaemia in 2020, aged just five; an unthinkable horror that changed the lives of everyone who knew her and her family.

And with Macmillan Cancer Support reporting that almost 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer, I also worry about my friends – parents themselves, their lives touched by cancer. One friend sat me down in our favourite local café, our toddlers playing at our feet, to break the news that she was about to undergo a double mastectomy. We cried together.

Another friend, Sarah, a single parent to two teenage girls, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before we heard that King Charles had cancer, and a month before the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, announced her own diagnosis in March last year. It seemed like cancer was everywhere.

As a result, Sarah put 2024 on hold – she missed her daughter’s last sports day and last concert at primary school and had to find a whole new way of co-ordinating family life.

“I’m lucky in some ways that my children are teenagers, so they are able to look after themselves to some degree – but I’m also a single parent, so there are some things that they can’t do, or struggle with, due to their age,” she tells me.

“I have even set up multiple alarms on our Alexa reminding them to put their packed lunches in their bags or leave for school, just in case I can’t get up.”

Sarah says she thought she knew quite a lot about cancer prior to her diagnosis, but now admits she “really didn’t”. She explains: “There are so many terms and procedures to understand – stages and grades, not to mention over 100 different chemotherapy drugs.”

Sarah tells me about the exhausting cumulative effect of chemotherapy, which she endured every three weeks during her cancer treatment: “After the very first lot, I slept for a few hours and felt much better pretty quickly. For my last rounds, I slept for 48 hours solid and even days later, I needed to have a nap in the middle of the day and was in bed by 8pm.”

Sarah’s now finished chemotherapy and, a year on from her diagnosis, is turning 50. She’s throwing a huge party to celebrate not only the birthday milestone, but getting over this “annus horriblis” – a year she couldn’t have gotten through without the people around her.

“People can do so much for us when we are unwell – and I am forever grateful,” she says. “I’ve been really overwhelmed by the support that my friends have given me; from ferrying around my children to and from after-school events and sleepovers when things get bad, to my 75-year-old neighbour mowing the lawn. One friend popped round with a huge pot of pasta sauce and I even had a gift box from a recruiter at work.”

What talking to my strong, resilient friends about their cancer journeys has made me realise most, is the power of community: for when we receive the worst news imaginable, what we need is people around us to see us through. A community of other women: friends, school mums, neighbours.

They had people willing to make them food, pick up their children, go shopping for them or to just sit with them and listen. They had support when they decided to raise money for cancer support charities, when they did fundraisers such as hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning.

It takes a village to raise a child – and that village will be with you every step of the way when you need them most.

Find out how you can help raise vital funds by hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning. Sign up now on the Macmillan website

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.

140 flights cancelled and Moscow airports closed after drone attacks

At least 140 flights have been cancelled and Moscow’s major airports were closed after Ukraine launched a drone strike on Russia.

The four major airports serving the capital were disrupted and more than 130 flights also had to be redirected, according to Russia’s Association of Tour Operators.

More than 230 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russia since Saturday morning, including 27 over the capital, according to the Russian defence ministry.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has offered Vladimir Putin fresh peace talks after weeks of relentless Russian missile attacks.

Mr Zelensky offered Moscow another round of ceasefire negotiations for next week, saying he wanted to speed up ending the conflict.

On Sunday, a Kremlin spokesperson said Vladimir Putin is ready to move toward a peace settlement, but added that Moscow‘s main objective is to achieve its goals.

It comes after weeks of relentless Russian strikes on Ukraine, including over 300 drones and 30 missiles launched on Friday night.

“Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address to the nation. “The Russian side should stop hiding from decisions.”

What is behind Tesco and Sainsbury’s fresh criticism of Reeves?

Rachel Reeves is facing a fresh rebellion, but this time, the opposition is coming from Britain’s biggest supermarkets, not the Labour back benches.

Tesco and Sainsbury’s have joined forces with pubs, restaurants and other hospitality businesses to warn the chancellor against a planned £1.7bn tax raid on the industry.

The Independent looks at what the businesses are worried about, and whether their warnings are likely to be heeded.

The grocery giants’ intervention focuses on the chancellor’s plans to overhaul the business rates system.

Changes outlined by Ms Reeves in her Budget last October will lead to higher payments for department stores, big supermarkets and other businesses with larger sites.

At the time, the chancellor said she was creating a “fairer business rates system” by permanently lowering payments for high street retail, hospitality and leisure properties.

To fund lower rates for businesses worth less than £500,000, Ms Reeves outlined plans for those worth more than £500,000 to pay a higher rate. The government is also scrapping a relief enjoyed by the companies, granting them 40 per cent off their business rates bills up to £110,000, which currently costs the Treasury £1.7bn a year.

“This measure will provide certainty and support for the high street,” the government said at the time.

Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy told The Telegraph that the changes will threaten “investments in customers, colleagues and communities”.

“Increasing the burden on large shops would hinder rather than help our town centres. Many of these shops are anchor stores in their local communities,” the retail chief added.

And Sainsbury’s boss Simon Roberts said big retailers, already struggling with higher national insurance contributions and the minimum wage hike, would “pull away from our high streets”.

He told the paper: “The changes being proposed will further increase the negative impact of business rates and won’t stimulate the growth or investment into our high streets and jobs that we all want to see.”

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) estimates that around 4,000 large retailers will be hit by the changes. It argues that these “anchor stores” drive footfall and help sustain surrounding businesses and communities.

The BRC wants the government to exclude shops from the higher rate payment, the level of which is set to be unveiled in the autumn Budget and take effect from next April.

Funding the exemption of shops would require smaller retail, leisure and hospitality firms to pay slightly more.

It is rare for the likes of Sainsbury’s and Tesco to publicly speak out against government policy, and the intervention is a sign of the growing frustration among retail and hospitality bosses at Ms Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer.

The industry has already been hit with national insurance hikes, a minimum wage increase and is bracing for the imposition of Angela Rayner’s employment rights shake-up.

Pub bosses have warned they are already seeing record closures and the business rates reforms will cause more to shut down.

Labour came to power with a promise to govern as a party of business, and the Treasury will certainly take note of the retailers’ calls.

However, with the chancellor already under pressure to raise as much cash as possible in her next Budget, any move that critics could paint as a bung to big business will prove politically difficult.

A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are a pro-business government that is creating a fairer business rates system to protect the high street, support investment, and level the playing field. To deliver our manifesto pledge and provide certainty and support to the high street we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties from next year.

“Unlike the current relief for these properties, there will be no cash cap on the new lower tax rates, supporting some of Britain’s most loved high street chains to continue to create jobs and grow the economy. The tough but necessary decisions we’ve taken on tax mean we could protect working people’s payslips from higher taxes, invest record amounts into the NHS, defence and other public services while keeping bus fares at £3 and expanding free school meals.”