A father claims his baby daughter was “almost killed” on two separate occasions when loose kitchen units fell from the wall of his council-owned flat.
Jay Stewart, 39, who lives in Blackheath, told how his 11-month-old daughter Ettie was “narrowly missed” by one unit when it “came crashing down” in July.
He claims he and his partner Lucy, 32, inspected the kitchen units themselves and then found “another entire cupboard was leaning off the wall”.
The couple, who live in the property with Ettie and their three other children, said they called Greenwich council housing services to complain and were told an inspector would come to check the kitchen.
But Mr Stewart says no one showed up, and two months later another section of the kitchen — a corner unit attached to a cupboard — fell and nearly hit Ettie for a second time.
Mr Stewart, a former chef, said: “She was almost killed when the units came crashing down. It caused complete and total devastation. We notified the council there was a problem but nothing was done.”
Two council inspectors then examined the kitchen and helped clear some of the mess, and Mr Stewart asked for the kitchen to be replaced. But the council refused as the kitchen had been installed by a previous tenant.
Mr Stewart said their response was “disgraceful” and added: “It’s ridiculous. I don’t think it is acceptable to be treated like this. The council have a good reputation but they have treated me and my family really poorly, all because I fall into some loophole ... they should be ashamed of themselves”.
He claimed there had been two other problems in the flat, when a ceiling fell on one of his children as he slept and when the boiler broke down.
A Greenwich council spokesman said: “We will only be replacing and fitting a new wall cupboard at the property.
“A recent inspection showed that the wall unit, which was not fitted by the borough council, was not correctly mounted.
“During that visit carpenters also ensured the remaining units were secure and helped clear up some of the broken items.
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“An wider inspection of the kitchen on the same day included checking and securing the drawers and worktops. This showed that the kitchen was in a reasonable condition, and not in need of replacement.”
