Camden Council Landlord Services

 work in progress                               Notes: noise log and other things 

      

                    List of  Housing Scrutiny Committee  meetings since 17 July 2014         

DRAFT

https://www.camden.gov.uk/home

https://www.camden.gov.uk/housing 

https://www.camden.gov.uk/community-safety1

https://www.camden.gov.uk/decision-making-in-camden

Letters and things from front line staff 

Notes: 

14 march 2022

camden council housing officer has started her nonsense with me again

.tenant in flat C has again been making malicious reports to her about me and she doesnt even ask me for confirmation or not before she sends me emails

its sort of like social media fall outs where someone says something about someone else and the person they say it to doesnt bother to at least try and get it confirmed or not before they kick off or whatever

16 March 2022

C came in recently and slammed both doors and I heard her muttering - apparently she has been reporting me every day to housing office for this that and the other - and housing officer who i now feel is harassing me hangs onto her every word it seems. This is 'root cause' is it? [ref to angela spooner of YT 28 March 2019]

i'll put up the letters she has sent to me - i think it was last year she first sent general letters. i can hear C above me speaking loudly above my bedroom and banging about.

she had replaced the previous housing estate officer - the one who had this put in https://youtu.be/_D2DeGbR4r4 in collusion with A and C yet I wasnt informed/ didnt know about it until it had be installed - was like that for a year or so

youtube.com

Dark Communal Stairs - Camden Council Landlord

This was taken this evening as I went downstairs to bring out some rubbish to the bins

The below letter sent out by Housing officer is to do with  agenda item 8 Implementation of clear communal area policy to manage the risk of fire for Camden Councils housing stock HERE 

of the Monday 28 June 2021 meeting of the Fire and Safety and Compliance advisory panel HERE 

7 june 2021 - 3 pages. apparently also sent to C and A

mary mcgowen director of housing management london borough of camden 14 june 2021 deadline to remove the obstructions etc. bookcase had nothing to do with me [as far as Im aware flat C] come 14 june 2021 it was still there//

just checked my recording - bookcase was still there 29 sept 2021 - covid given as excuse by HO, who even walked past it when she came to property to put letters under my flat door - not able to multi-task i guess - fire hazard not as important as the letters?

As you see in the above photo the 'take me away note' that I didn't notice at first was placed under the 'no smoking' sign and not above the bookcase[b/c] where it should have been put.

I removed the note and placed it above the B/C and someone removed it and i didnt see it again- flat C i think

    By Sept 2021 I was being sent the above such letters - aside from the 'asb' that is being alleged

the letter also implies that "alleged banging to disturb both the residents of A and B"

The way some of these letters are worded [put together] seems in my view to be a bit messy, thrown together one could say, but then one could also say that its deliberate to cause confusion.

Despite DC knowing that out of the 3 flats in the property, only 2 [mine B and C above] are occupied

she not only implies i'm disturbing the other 2 "residents" but she writes it as A and B when it should have been A and C - understand what I'm saying?

********************************************

In regards to the court order about access to my flat for housing repairs to check for leaks in my bathroom - the order ran out 7 feb 2022 and the same week I let them in [under duress and in pain of punishment from HMCTS if I didn't] 2x it took ///

1st time was plumber and woman from holmes rd - she seemed friendly enough to me, polite etc - heo nowhere in sight though i did hear she was about somewhere. plumber came back on his 2 days later to finish what he had started. // plumber seemed nice enough.

he found some water under my bath in the top corner where taps are - i saw the water. He also saw as I did, that the waste pipe from the bath to joined pipe under the bath, was a bit loose - he tugged at the joined pipe part after having turned on the water in the bath //

he disconnect the 2 pipes and - water came out and there was some water on the floorboard. I says - this was apparently proof of a leak - i says but you just tugged etc at it no wonder there is water there. Anyway with holmes rd deport woman standing watching him and me //

/watching him [but I couldnt see all of what he was doing as he was bent over with his back to me - maybe housing repairs woman saw] he says he sees water at the corner on floorboard. Ok I thought but that that doesnt mean its a leak and that its been a repeat thing ///

//and that it has seeped through to flat below. the loose pipe was replaced, the tiles from where bath taps are - where replaced with plastic. The 2 council tilers who did around the bath [ this was under duress on my part] ///

// didnt do as good a job as i thought - nice lads though, plus i was given a new shower rail and shower curtain. wow the landlord splashing out i see.. shower curtian too long though so wasnt used there but did come in handy for covering over my cycle which is chained //

/up outside. Also a new board was put on the front of the bath - ply board. i'll put up some photo's later. Nice lad.

WORK IN PROGRESS

https://youtu.be/g_nxiv0h6GY

19 Dec 2017 

                                    https://youtu.be/fhdAy6yRs5w 

                                                28 March 2019 

the below is the mainly yt generated transcript tided up a bit - my emphasis added in bold

0:07  We currently  provide landlord services to 33, 000 households [music] 

0:16 and our residents each have their own needs and requirements from their landlord 

0:19 our vision is to make Camden a place where everyone has a chance to succeed and nobody gets left behind

0:27 to achieve this we know we need to think differently about the way we do things

       to design our services so they are focused on our citizens 

0:37 and develop an ethos that means we continuously reflect on what we are delivering and to learn and improve 

0:46 we want as a landlord to be approachable and accessible,  to listen to what matters to our residents 

which is why we have reviewed our services, we have listened and tested with our frontline staff ways of working a new model

1:01 as a result of this we have shifted from working in distinctly separate teams  and taken a different approach on issues including rent,  money and debt management repairs and neighbour issues

we are now working flexibly to understand the context of our residents lives 

1:18 and delivering a more tailored support service to those who need it 

we know that we need to focus more on tackling the root causes rather than the symptoms of problems and build a culture of reflective practice and  continuous improvement in which

1:37  as we are discovering everyday this new approach  is helping us create a landlord service 

that will build resident  and community resilience 

1:45 we know we've got a lot of work to do to build on our new approach in the future, working with other services and organisations to deliver even more effective services for our residents 

at Camden Council we have strong ambitions to ensure that by 2025 more people have a suitable home and employment, feel safe, happy and healthy and are part  of a strong networked community

2:10 please get in touch if you want to know more about working for Camden or you want to find out more about what we are doing 

16 march 2022

i know i become activated when they start with with me and can get a spurt of energy but I also get depressed/fed up with it - i feel trapped again and no-one wants to help me with getting redress/justice so i have to do it alone - mistakes an all. I might as well be a leper

when they take against you ... well you know the rest.

taking a break from this for now

well I was until C went out and slammed both doors again causing me annoyance and my cat to be spooked. Im noting some of the stuff. not that the landlord takes any notice - its very one sided.

C slammed flat door again. They think i have to take this and not say or do anything. oops i just let out some gas - that may not be allowed though if she hears it. its not smelly though.

youtube.com

Billy connelly Farting

16 march 2022

letter dated 28 feb 2022 [no ref number] sent by camden council includes a letter with danny waites name on it [head of repairs]

"Dear resident

Please be aware of scam messages claiming to be from Camden Council

Some Camden residents have been receiving bogus WhatsApp or text messages from "Housing Disrepair Helpline" pretending to be the Councils repairs service and asking people to share their personal information

These messages are not from Camden Council and you should not reply

if you receive an unexpected message claiming to be from Camden Council, contact us to check: 0 speak to our repairs team through webchat at http://camden.gov.uk/housing-repairs, and click the blue speech bubble from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

0 Contact your neighbourhood housing officer on 020 7974 4444 (option 3 then 3) or visit

http://camden.gov.uk/your-neighbour

0 Call the Camden Council Contact Centre on 020 7974 4444 from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

If you receive a text message from "Housing Disrepair Helpline" or any other suspicious messages, please report them to the cybercrime organisation, Action Fraud at http://actionfraud.police.uk

if you have received a WhatsApp or text message and have shared your personal details, report this to the police by phoning 101 Yours faithfully Danny Waite Head of Repairs

the address is: Property Management London Borough of Camden Holmes Road Depot 79 Holmes Road London NW5 3AP

Chalcots: Builder says Camden's fire safety bill is £26m over the odds https://hamhigh.co.uk/news/housing/builder-says-camden-council-chalcots-works-too-expensive-8758496… camden council

finance officers in charge i think - do they mislead cabinet members and the public? the overcharge for vital water still not paid back to tenants, denial they owe tenants the money of course yet admit profits go back into the system .. evidence of this is where?

15 march 2022

i don't think camden council is all bad, all badly behaved people etc, lots of good stuff happens [ that needs to be monitored of course to gauge outcomes].... but and this is a big BUT when things do go wrong they will deny, delay, and try and destroy - thats my experience

" 1:13 we need to focus more and tackling the root causes rather than the symptoms of problems " https://collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/root-cause… root cause

collinsdictionary.com

Root cause definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

Root cause definition: the fundamental reason for the occurrence of a problem | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples

1root cause - nope i've not had any experience of this being practiced by landlord agents

12 march 2022

next week - 16 March 2022 is 2 years from the date I had a heart attack in the street on my way to a dentists appointment. i part blame

@camdencouncil

housing people and the 2 tenants [A and C] for this because of all the stress and upset they put me through, which still goes on

29 March 2022

A young and dynamic social housing champion is on the scene and he ain't from Camden, look him up.

CE = Chief Executive

ED = Executive Director 

CE Jenny Rowlands

Deputy CE & ED Supporting People  Martin Pratt 

ED Supporting Communities  Gillian Marston

 ED Corporate Services Jon Rowney [section 151 officer]

 Director of Public Health Camden (Interim) Piers Simey

Borough Solicitor Andrew Maughan

Director of People & Inclusion Joanna Brown

Director of Participation, Partnerships and Communications Kathryn Myers

 

3 June 2023  work in progress

Tenancy Management  - a cycle of restructuring of workforce teams and idea's - coming up with better ways of doing things and communicating these new ways to Cabinet and tenants -

Take for instance the year 2019 and the restructuring of services: tenancy issues, repairs, caretaking, general ways of doing things. Sounds/Reads good. Officers Reports that seem to have become an agenda item for every and each DMC.

Kentish Town DMC [which covers ward I live in as well as a few other wards] 

agenda item 15 Service Reports March 2019

 

DMCs are asked to note the content of the below reports.

·         Caretaking review, Landlord Review, Change to water charges: update, Welfare changes update

  Waste oil from Estates options,   Adult Social Care in Camden Council Properties

 Implementation

LGO Finding of Maladministration

www.lgo.org.uk Local Government Ombudsman

London Borough of Camden (10 022 017)

Licensing Maladministration causing injustice

1 February 2012

London Borough of Camden repeatedly ignored a man’s requests for a street trading pitch and his subsequent complaints about it. The Ombudsman said the Council had no proper procedures or policies in place for allocating street trading pitches. The process lacked transparency and fairness and made the allocation of pitches open to the possibility or the appearance of corruption.

She also said the Council’s complaints procedure had failed.

“The Council’s own central complaints unit appears to have been ignored by the department concerned, and my own investigation has been hampered by incorrect information provided by the Council (my emphasis). This has caused unacceptable delay and frustration to the complainant, who has been trying for three years to make use of an unused street trading pitch. Added to this, the Council has itself been losing revenue due to its own disorganisation.” (my emphasis)

The man complained about the Council’s failure to respond to his repeated requests for a particular street trading pitch that had not been used since 2008. He received no response to his first application, and his continued attempts over the next three years to secure the pitch, or another permanent pitch, were unsuccessful.

Safeguarding - Hannah

Local news report about the Safeguarding review of the sad death on 9 Feb 2018, of a lady named Hannah Leonard [aged 55] who had lived in Camden in Bray Tower on the Chalcots Estate, Adelaide Road,NW3. I didn't know Hannah but I hope she is at peace now. 

 

Hannah Leonard: Murdered mother was failed by care system, report finds | Islington Tribune

http://camdennewjournal.com/article/murdered-mothers-care-failed-her-report-finds

Hannah Leonard: Murdered mother was failed by care system, report finds Hannah Leonard had been a victim of cuckooing

04 November, 2021— By Tom Foot

______________________

Hannah Leonard died after 55 knife and scissor stab wounds

A VULNERABLE woman who was brutally murdered in her flat was let down by a flawed system that failed to take responsibility for her, a report has found.

The body of Hannah Leonard, who had been a victim of “cuckooing” – when a person’s home is taken over, often by drug dealers – was discovered in February 2018 by builders who were stripping dangerous cladding off her home in Bray tower on the Chalcots estate.

She had 55 knife and scissor stab wounds and the shoe-print of her killer, a woman she had met in a pub, was found on her face.

A 40-page, in-depth adult safeguarding review has revealed how various departments “failed to share responsibility” for Ms Leonard.

The 55-year-old was suffering from an incurable disease and had become known as a “repeat caller” to the emergency services.

There had been too much focus by the NHS and local authority on her alcoholism at the “expense” of her mental health needs, the report suggested.

“The system failed to piece together the jigsaw,” the report said, adding that the set-up was vulnerable to miscommunication, administrative errors and could allow a case to fall through the gaps.

Ms Leonard was traumatised by the Chalcots fire safety evacuation

The review, which was mentioned in an annual report discussed by councillors this week, has recommended social services and emergency services combine better in the future when faced with complex cases.

Ms Leonard had in 2016 fallen into a fortnightly pattern of binge drinking, depression and suicidal thoughts.

She made dozens of 999 calls, including on one night when she threatened to jump from a window of her home, leading to “a night-long deployment of emergency services and an out-of-hours GP”, the report said.

In another example, she had reported a sexual assault outside her flats and that a man was in her flat aggressively asking for sex. She also complained of chest and leg pain to paramedics.

“Hannah was known to health and social care services in Camden and was a frequent caller to emergency services,” the report added.

“She had a diagnosis of Huntington’s disease, recurrent depressive disorder, and was known to use alcohol.”

She had reported a series of falls at home before her death in 2018.

Despite her calls to the emergency services, the NHS and the council, she did not meet the criteria “for a social care response”, the report said.

The review specifically focuses on a flaw that can leave vulnerable people denied help, which they are legally entitled to under the Care Act, because they are also regularly intoxicated with alcohol.

The report said: “The organisational view seemed to have settled: Hannah was making decisions to drink alcohol, was making decisions about risk, and that she could therefore protect herself from the adverse effects of both.

“Hannah may well have had mental capacity in relation to patterns of alcohol use and social risk-taking, however, it would appear there was sufficient concern about this to have been more fully assessed.”

Ms Leonard had grown up in the Irish care system and had been a victim of sexual abuse and childhood trauma. But the care “system” in Camden had “demonstrated a limited understanding of her adverse childhood experiences”, the report said.

In June 2017 the Chalcots tower blocks were evacuated over fire safety fears, affecting hundreds of residents.

This caused a “tremendous disruption” to Ms Leonard and may have affected her drinking and access to anti-psychotic medication, the report said.

“Due to the unprecedented scale of the evacuation, Hannah’s GP surgery was unable to support her while she resided temporarily in another area,” it added.

“This was a traumatic time for Hannah and may have contributed to her use of alcohol as a coping mechanism.”

A review of Ms Leonard’s death was launched in 2019. A series of recommendations were made including better training of social workers and a need “for the system to consider the whole person”.

Lucy Casey was convicted of murder

“Health, social care, and emergency services needed to work together, sharing their own experiences to offer Hannah a holistic service that was as unique as she was.”

The report said her daughter had “demonstrated compassion and understanding” throughout the process and had a “genuine wish for organisations to heed the lessons of Hannah’s cases and make changes to practice to ensure that lessons are learned”, the report said.

In a statement, the independent chair of Camden Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board, James Reilly, said: “On behalf of Camden’s Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board, I express our sincere condolences to Hannah’s daughter and family. My thanks to her for her contributions to this Safeguarding Adult Review and to the partner agencies who also participated.

“Our Board appreciates the clarity of the comprehensive report and we are committed to fully considering his findings and to improving our future responses to become demonstrably more holistic, informed, proactive and integrated in keeping with the recommendations of this Safeguarding Adult Review.”

Hannah met killer in pub

LUCY Casey, from Kilburn, was convicted of murdering Hannah Leonard in 2018. The 43-year-old had met Ms Leonard in the Sir Colin Campbell pub in Kilburn High Road before going back to her home in Bray tower with a man.

After she was sentenced, Ms Leonard’s daughter Caroline Snowling said there had been a lack of professional support for her and her family following the tragedy. Ms Leonard, who was born in Cork, Ireland, moved to London in the 1980s.

Ms Snowling described her as a “true Irish lady” who was “a very strong and independent woman who loved her community”.

At the time of her mother’s death, she asked for floral tributes to be left outside her door at number 73, adding: “I know for sure that she was known in the community and loved. “She was really sentimental about things and I know she’d like them at her door.

Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board HERE

Scroll down the page to read the report Safeguarding Adults Review (SARs): 2020 - "Hannah" 

Fires in Camden Dwellings

WORK IN PROGRESS

 I've been interested in some of the fatal fires that have happened in the London borough of Camden, before and mainly since the tragic Grenfell Tower fire [14 June 2017] in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea. 

Cutting corners with public service provision can sometimes have severe consequences

Pre Grenfell Tower                           

• Thursday 18 April 2013 Valerie Willis HERE - Countess Road, Kentish Town, London NW5 2XH 
• 26 Dec 2016 John McKelvey HERE  Hawley Road, Camden Town, NW1 8AA

It was around this year [2013] that the Government made regulations HERE 

called The Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 which came into force 25 July 2013 

Part 7

Action to Prevent other deaths 

More commonly known as Prevention of future deaths reports which can be found at the judiciary website linked below 

https://www.judiciary.uk/related-offices-and-bodies/office-chief-coroner/https-www-judiciary-uk-subject-community-health-care-and-emergency-services-related-deaths/

Post Grenfell Tower [Tuesday 14 June 2017 tragic fire which killed 71/2 [depending who is reporting it] people and many many others harmed/traumatized

2017

21 November 2017 

          Tuesday 21-11-2017 at 31 Daleham Gardens, Frognal and Fitzjohns ward London brough of Camden,  NW3 3BY  3BU

Landlord Camden Council 

Fire at street property house conversion 

Madeline/Magdelana Fink 35 died. 

In-depth reports on 31 Daleham Gardens Fire HERE 

Note: ward now called Frognal  Belsize

8 Dec 2017 

Jacob Sulaiman 65 died 

Robert Morton House, Alexandra Place, St Johns Wood, London NW8 0DX 

Reports HERE 

2018

3 Sept 2018 Harmood street, Haverstock ward,  HERE 

9 Nov 2018 Brassey Rd 

2019

3 Feb 2019 

Carl Thorpe 46, Highgate Mental Health Centre   HERE

Dartmouth Park Hill, London N19 5NX - 

Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (candi.nhs.uk)

Strangled and set alight Highgate Mental Health Centre fire victim's aunt speaks out as Old Bailey judge slams medics | Hampstead Highgate Express (hamhigh.co.uk)

2020

4 November 2020  

Wednesday 4-11-2020  Bridgeway Street,  St Pancras and Somers Town, LB of Camden. NW1 - Landlord Camden Council   ??? 

Fire at flat in block of flats 

Henry Boddy 61 died 

In-depth reports on Bridgeway Street fire HERE

3 Nov 2020

NOTES: As reported by Richard Osley on Twitter [ see below] there was also a fire the day before [3 Nov 2020] in Kings Cross. As far as I am aware no deaths or serious injuries. 

"Birkenhead Street estate in King's Cross being evacuated after a fire. Police and firefighters have helped an elderly man out of the building and he is being treated by paramedics" 

 

14 February 2020 

Friday 14-2-2020 at flat 16 Aspen House Maitland Park Villas,  Haverstock ward, LB of Camden, NW3. Landlord Camden Council.

Fire/explosion in empty block of flats due to be demolished  

Daniel Coleman 42 died 

In-depth reports on Aspen House fire HERE

On 14 Feb 2022 there was another fire nearby 

https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/housing/chalk-farm-fire-sees-30-people-evacuated-8690060

Thursday 6 July 2023 

0n 6 July 2023 the London Fire Brigade and others reported: 

Footnote

Please let me know [in comments section] if any mistakes are noted and I will correct them - as and when they come to my attention. I sometimes get dates [numbers] muddled up. 

London Building Acts: byelaws

When the council property I live in was converted (in the late 1970's) from a single house into 3 separate flats, building regulations in London where the responsibility of the local council in the form of Byelaws [Local Acts]

Statutory Instruments [secondary legislation] such as the Building Regulations 1976 HERE, did not apply to London as elsewhere in the country until the Building Act 1984. 

Some information about Local Acts HERE

HoL 1999 Housing, Quiet Enjoyment, Nuisance HERE 

"But they did not contravene the bye-laws in force at the time"

The Building Act 1984 replaced the previous system of local bye-laws with nationally applicable regulations made by the Secretary of State for the Environment.

The Building Regulations 1985 (SI 1985/1065) contained for the first time a requirement that walls and floors which separate one dwelling from another should resist the transmission of airborne and impact sound: see Part E of Schedule 1 to the Regulations.

Similar provisions are now contained in the Building Regulations 1991 (SI 1991/2768). But the regulations apply only to buildings erected or converted after they came into force."


" Byelaws are local laws made by a local council under an enabling power contained in a public general act or a local act requiring something to be done – or not done – in a specified area. They are accompanied by some sanction or penalty for their non-observance."

If validly made, byelaws have the force of law within the areas to which they apply. Generally byelaws are overseen by the relevant government department or confirming authority who has policy responsibility for the subject matter." HERE 



The Local Government Act 1972 HERE gives instructions about the making of local government bye laws [also called Local Acts]

Part XI [11]  General Provisions as to Local Authorities HERE, under the cross heading Byelaws are sections 235-238 HERE 

Sections 262 Local Acts and instruments HERE 

Going back in time 40 years or so, the London Building Act 1930 HERE came about 12 years after the end of world war 1 [1914-18] 

The whole Act came into force 1 October 1930.

        Part VI [6] Construction of Buildings sections 57 - 88

London Building Acts [Amendment] Act 1939 HERE

London County Council [General Powers] Act 1948 HERE 

Local Government Act 1972 HERE

Greater London Council [General Powers] Act 1974 HERE

Building Control Act 1966 HERE

Housing and Building Control Act 1984 HERE 
Building Act 1984 HERE



March 2018
  https://assets.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/documents/Colin%20Todd%20report.pdf   

 2.17 approval under the London Building Acts and the associated bye laws was the responsibility of the Greater London Council [GLC]. 


4.1.13 The London Building Acts 1930 - 1939 gave powers for secondary legislation to be produced in the form the London Building [Constructional] Bye laws. The BLs would have comprised:


The Public Health Act 1936 HERE
section 61

Statutory Instrument 1057  HERE
1972 No 317
BUILDING AND BUILDINGS

The Building Regulations 1972

 The below Act exempted some buildings from building by-laws.

Public Health Act 1936 HERE

NB I have tried to track down the relevant local London by-laws that where supposed to be in place but no-one seems to have them: locally, [London] county hall [Mayor of London ] national archives. 

Housing Priority for Infamous Gangster

"All of which begs a question: how exactly did Britain’s most infamous gangster end up being granted his plum tenancy?"

"Camden Council this week refused to comment, insisting that its housing system ‘prioritises people in accordance with legislation’." 

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6684753/How-gangland-boss-Terry-Adams-amassed-fortune-one-Britains-feared-gangsters.html

8 February 2019 

£6m Overspend by Housing Department - 2010

http://curnockstreetestate.com/2012/03/22/6m-overspend-by-housing-department/

22 March 2012 

Hanging Death on Council Estate - 2012

http://www.hamhigh.co.uk

Swiss Cottage basketball hoop hanging death
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Josh Pettitt and Rachael Getzels, Reporters

A man was found hanged from the frame of a basketball hoop at a Swiss Cottage sports court on this morning (Wednesday, January 11).

The man, believed to be in his 30s, was discovered shortly before 6.30am in Dobson Close estate, off Hilgrove Road, by a woman walking her dog. The body, which has not been identified, was hanging yards from a children’s playground.

Police said they requested a tent to shield the body from children.

Clearly shaken up, Natasha Ullah, 29, who discovered the body, said: “I was walking the dog this morning, I went through the park and I noticed a guy hanging on the pitch. “All I remember is seeing the guy hanging there. I was quite shocked at that. “I rang up to call the police. I didn’t really want to get any nearer to him.”

There was no sign of how the man climbed the 10 feet to the top of the hoop.
Residents of the estate said they were shocked and saddened at the death.

Muna Salaad, 34, of Hillgrave Estate, who saw the body covered in a white cloth, said: “I feel sad. It was a bit weird when I saw it. It took me a few seconds, I thought ‘Oh God there’s a body there’. It’s really sad.”

Pensioner Norma Boyle, whose flat in Farjeon House, Dobson Close, overlooks the basketball court, said: “It is dreadful. We’ve never had anything like this before. We have lived here for 51 years and never known anything like it.”

Police sealed off the area for several hours, but are not treating the death as suspicious.

The area was reopened shortly before 11am the same morning.
An inquest will be opened and adjourned at St Pancras Coroners’ Court.