A CATFORD homeowner says she is living below the neighbour from hell as water continues to leak through her ceiling for a third year.

Gloria Hall, who lives in Cumberland Place, says she can "smell the mould" and that her "rubbish-hoarding" tenant keeps the door closed and does not answer his mail.

The flats’ maintenance team was forced to break into the flat to deal with the problem but piles of takeaway boxes and bottles made it impossible to tackle the leak.

The 50-year-old secretary said: "He’s caused a lot of damage to my flat.

"It is going on and on.

"I can smell the mould.

News Shopper: Gloria Hall says she can "smell the mould" from a three-year water leak from her neighbour's flat

"One side of the wall is black and the ceiling’s almost fallen down.

"It is just uninhabitable.

"I have seen him but he keeps himself to himself on the top floor. "He won’t open it or if he does, he just puts his hand out to you."

Ms Hall says she is now frustrated at the slow progress made by the flats’ managing agent Management Company Services (MCS) and Lewisham Council’s environmental health team.

A spokesman for MCS said: "Ms Hall reported a leak over a year ago but obviously there are steps taken to try and contact the owner.

"I know it has been a long, long time.

"There were three to four months of trying to contact him

"There were take-away boxes, bottles, lots of rubbish so the contractor couldn’t do a repair to the place."

He went on to say it is now being dealt with by the council which has issued the tenant with a warrant and notice to clean the flat so that a plumber can repair the leak.

A Lewisham Council spokeswoman said: “The flat is a public health risk. 

"Under the Public Health Act we have served the tenant in Rothesay Court with an order to remove rubbish from their property by 24 May.

"If it isn’t cleared by then, Pest Control will go in and clear it. The flat is privately owned so the council does not have responsibility for repairs.”