The final residents of two shipping container shanty town estates branded the ‘worst place to live in Britain’ are finally leaving – amid calls to raze them to the ground ‘once and for all’.
Those who once lived in the ‘hellholes’ in Acton and Ealing, west London have called for a public inquiry and compensation for the ‘hardship’ they faced there.
Ealing Council is now decommissioning two shipping container estates called Meath Court and Marston Court.
Residents at Meath Court, in Acton said living there was like a ‘third world cesspit’, which was rife with serious crime, major hygiene issues and feared being murdered while waiting for a new home.
They hoped to have moved out of the flats by the end of last year but had to wait months until they were finally given a fresh start.
It is understood that just one resident is left, who is soon set to leave.
One woman, who lived there with her children for several months after fleeing domestic abuse, told MailOnline: ‘It was horrific. Leaving is the best thing that has ever happened to me.’
Meath Court in Acton where residents claim it is ‘the worst place to live in Britain’
The rusting shipping container homes were built by the council as ’emergency accommodation’
Those who once lived in the two shanty town estates have called for a public inquiry and compensation for the ‘hardship’ they faced there
She added: ‘It was appalling. My children are traumatised.
‘Me and others are considering our legal rights and are thinking of compensation.
‘We did not get chance to do it while living there because our loves were hell and unmanageable.
‘We lived in constant fear of being mugged, burgled or attacked. We could not wash our clothes because drug users defecated inside the laundry room.
‘It smelt bad. Drug use and dealing was rife. There was constant violence.
‘You would not house cows there but they were happy to put victims of domestic abuse and their children.
‘It is disgusting.’
Speaking earlier this year, Labour-led Ealing Council, which covers the area, said it was committed to getting the families out but terrified locals said they were scared they could be murdered while they wait for a new home.
Other issues included prostitution, sex assault, violence and robberies.
Another woman, who lived in a home with her three children, said: ‘My children have nightmares about being scared still.
‘We’re much safer now.
‘Ealing Council needs to raze those two sites to the ground.
‘Something productive should be put there. Proper housing and not the shanty area it was.
‘It shames the council.
‘They need raising to the ground.
‘The councillors need a public inquiry to ensure nobody else has to suffer like that ever again.’
Another ex-resident said: ‘We are considering legal action.’
Residents claim their post has been stolen out of letter boxes on the estate
A broken window is left boarded up on one of the shipping container flats
Locals compared living there to being in a ‘third world cesspit’
Tenants are forced to live in cramped conditions inside the shipping container homes
Traumatised families trying to flee the ‘slum’ housing estate made of rusting shipping containers previously branded it the ‘worst place to live in Britain’ and a ‘third world cesspit’.
Speaking to MailOnline, a woman living there said: ‘I fear I will die here. This is the worst place to live in Britain. It’s like being in a third world country. I am terrified I will be killed or my children will be killed.’
We also revealed conditions on Marston Court estate in neighbouring Ealing in August, also run by the council, where tenants were so stressed they ‘wanted to kill themselves’.
One drug dealer – who locals have dubbed the ‘Pablo Escobar of Acton’ – with alleged organised crime links across the country, had been openly dealing cocaine and heroin in the estate, locals said.
Even security guards employed to tackle the crime issues are ‘constantly bullied’ and work in fear of attacks.
Meath Court estate had 60 shipping container homes and many have families with up to eight people living in them despite only having two bedrooms.
In one case three children were living in one bedroom which is just two metres wide by five metres long.
Speaking last month, one man who lived on the estate said: ‘It is an undignified end to an undignified time of my life having to live here. I have nowhere else to go. It’s disgraceful.
‘The communication has been terrible. I have been given an eviction notice but have nowhere to go. I am not sure what will happen. It’s horrific.
‘But I would rather sleep rough on a park bench than have to put up and deal with Ealing Council again.’
Tenants claimed human excrement is often found around the bins on the estate
The estate has 60 shipping container homes and many have families with up to eight people
An Ealing Council spokesperson said: ‘There has long been a chronic shortage of affordable housing in Ealing. But the system is now under extreme pressure, with an unprecedented number of local households having no choice but to approach us for emergency help because they are at immediate risk of homelessness.
‘In recent years, we have seen a seismic shift in the availability of affordable accommodation in our borough, with private rents having almost doubled in some areas since 2018.
‘With landlords and B&B owners leaving the market, there are substantially less options available.
‘The cost-of-living crisis and high interest rates are among several factors which have led to the big spike in the number of homelessness approaches we receive.
‘The modular homes at Meath and Marston Courts were an attempt by the council to seek innovative solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
‘We are decommissioning both sites as a direct result of concerns raised about the quality of the accommodation.
‘We have now rehoused almost all the residents. Of the five remaining tenants, three will move into their new accommodation this week, while the remaining two have evictions pending.’
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