Mum 'sleeps next to front door' in fears over child’s safety in block of flats
A mum claims she has put a mattress by her front door where she sleeps as she is so worried about her child's safety in a block of flats.
The resident at Imperial Apartments, in Bristol, said that she is concerned about her toddler running out of her flat with the door not secure from the inside.
There have been previous reports of residents being unhappy about living conditions and antisocial behaviour but Bristol city council has restarted housing families there after a review last year, reported BristolLive.
Now a 21-year-old mum, who didn't want to be named, has again raised concerns.
"The ideal plan is to run for the hills and get out of this building altogether. I don't understand how anyone can live here," she said.
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The woman uses a chain on the front door which she said is not secure (bristolpost)And she said that she has had to block her front door and sleeps with a mattress by it as she claims the doorframe is loose so her child can open it and leave the flat.
"I need a new lock so I can use a key from the inside," said the woman, who has tried to glue the door and uses a chain on it.
"In the early hours of the morning my child has made a beeline for the front door and has managed to pull it back to get out. I'm now sleeping on a mattress next to the front door so I can stop this from happening."
She claims she has been "laughed at" when raising the issue with the management.
"When I say I need to speak to someone, I get forms to fill out, no-one, no-one at all wants to listen," she said.
She is also worried about the lack of security on a particular day of the week and has emailed Caridon who manage the apartment block.
The woman said she is worried over safety at the block of flats (bristolpost)The mum claims she has been dealing with her front door security problems since last year and said she also feels afraid as she has been harassed by men in the building, calling it "disturbing and disgusting".
Imperial Apartments was converted into flats and opened in 2020 with the apartments rented out privately and by Bristol city council.
Concerns from residents led to calls to review the suitability of the block for housing children.
In February 2022, Bristol mayor Marvin Rees announced a pause on sending families to Imperial Apartments while the review took place.
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But the review, released last June, found that in line with legislation considering 'suitability', the block was "suitable for many families with children".
The review assessed suitability on multiple factors, including physical condition of accommodation, affordability, overcrowding and risk of violence from any person. There are 465 units at Imperial Apartments and in June last year, nearly one third had children living in them.
A Bristol city council spokesperson reportedly said that as Imperial Apartments is a privately managed block, repairs and maintenance are the sole responsibility of the landlord.
He added while they have no say over repairs and maintenance, "the council maintains regular communications with the landlord about its responsibilities and seeks every opportunity to scrutinise their actions".
Caridon has previously reportedly said it offers a large community development where residents live together and interact, but recognised that while this was not for everyone the Imperial Apartment had a positive atmosphere.
The Mirror has contact Bristol city council for comment.
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