The council-owned Fellows Court tower block in Hackney has suffered extensive flooding merely a fortnight after a separate fire incident forced multiple occupants from their homes and resulted in two children being taken to hospital.
Residents of the building reported catastrophic water ingress across numerous levels from 8 March, caused by a ruptured main pipe. Four residences became completely unsuitable for occupation.
Approximately 70 crew members had previously been deployed to suppress a blaze that erupted on the evening of 27 February. Investigators are currently examining what sparked that fire.
A council representative stated that persistent problems with the building’s heating system have generated considerable concern and distress among tenants. The authority affirmed its determination to implement a comprehensive resolution.
Inhabitants of Fellows Court have been recording their building’s deficiencies on social media platform X since August 2025.
On 26 February, the day preceding the fire outbreak, an account posted that multiple fire alarm defects had been reported to the council without any remedial action being taken, leaving this fifteen-storey residential building without functioning fire detection equipment and placing occupants in danger.
The council responded that the specific fault impacting the fire alarm had been rectified before Friday’s incident, that it did not constitute a building-wide problem, and that it would not have prevented the alarm from activating when the fire occurred.
The council will now conduct a review of its fire risk assessment, as the most recent safety checks were performed in November 2024.
In another part of Hackney, one resident claims that persistent grievances regarding social housing have gone unheeded.
The woman, who preferred to stay unnamed, informed the Hackney Post that she had lodged identical complaints regarding a leak in her single-bedroom flat on four separate occasions.
She mentioned enduring the leak in her entrance area for more than twelve months and expressed feeling compelled to reach out to the council once more this week.
According to her, even though repair work was undertaken two years ago, the problem had not been resolved and was evidently carried out inadequately.
She remarked that escalating frustration stems from annual council tax rises while receiving only substandard administration in return.
The resident expressed her exasperation at what she perceives as indolence from both contractors and the council, noting that ordinary residents invariably bear the consequences.