‘I wouldn’t like to be living there’: Sovereign residents share disgust at cracked walls and exposed asbestos left unrepaired
Crumbling walls and collapsed ceilings containing asbestos have left Sovereign tenants in despair.
Residents at Springhurst House, on The Nightingales estate in Greenham, raised concerns about exposed asbestos and subsidence (structural damage caused by sinking earth) more than a year ago.
But now their building is (quite literally) falling apart, and has been described by one resident as a “giant game of Jenga”.
The Housing Ombudsman for England just reported a 474 per cent rise in complaints about substandard living conditions between 2019/20 and 2024/25, despite millions of successful repairs.
Poor landlord behaviour and botched or temporary repairs were the biggest drivers of complaints.
Joanne Stanbrook has lived at Springhurst House for eight years, where cracks now reach her kitchen window on the first floor and have appeared inside her living room.
She said: “Some people like it here because they can get away with stuff they perhaps couldn’t elsewhere. But we’re not like that. We just want a quiet life.”
Her neighbour Tracey Black, also involved with local charity Eight Bells for Mental Health, said: “We just need answers. It’s getting to the point of being distressing to live somewhere like this.
“They took samples of the tiles on the floor because there’s asbestos underneath. They even took our doormats away to test them.”
Clint Walker lives in a ground floor studio flat. He said: “My mental health is not great, but why should I have to play on it to get moved?”
“I wouldn’t like to be living there,” said councillor Billy Drummond (Lib Dem, Newbury Greenham).
“Sovereign think they’re doing the right thing by sealing it up, because as long as [asbestos] is not disturbed, there’s no danger.
“But what worries me is the holes in the tiles. That can be quite dangerous.”
He added he has seen far worse housing conditions on the estate.
A spokesperson for Sovereign Network Group responded: “We’ve been using monitoring equipment since February to check the walls on a weekly basis and so far, we’ve recorded no movement.
READ MORE: Residents angry at 300% hike in gas bills at Sovereign Housing property in Newbury
“Further work will involve us installing some stitching bars to ensure stability to the walls and we’ll continue to monitor the situation.”
Newburytoday understands a recent air quality test for asbestos at Springhurst House came back clear.
A SNG spokesperson added: “We’ve completed a number of make safes to ensure the safety of customers and SNG colleagues.
“We’re also reviewing long-term solutions and the potential safe removal of the asbestos.
“We’ll be working closely with the residents and will keep them informed once we have a confirmed plan.”
The Health and Safety Executive said it will inspect a sample of any removal work carried out by a licensed contractor.
From October, social landlords in England must make emergency repairs within 24 hours, including to damp and mould.
The law will be expanded next year to apply to a wider range of hazards, including structural collapse.
But it will not include hazards such as asbestos until 2027.
