Mother and son forced to urinate in bottles as Stockwell council house does not have enough water

Rags Martel meets Osa, who shows him round her home, which has no running water

A mother says she and her son have been forced to urinate in bottles and go to the toilet in plastic bags as there is very little running water in their Stockwell council house.

Osa says the Lambeth Council has forgotten about them.

She and her 11-year-old son Rex are forced to share a bed and the flat is also ridden with rats.

Osa tell ITV London: "It's very heartbreaking. It's very terrible.

"It's not a good situation, especially for my son.

"He's 11 years old, not taking a shower before going to school."

The conditions are having such an impact on Rex, who is just 11-years-old, that his school has written to the council for help.

Today, Rex told us his living situation causes him "stress and trauma".

He told ITV London, "I feel bad about myself having to sit next to someone knowing that I smell very bad. "

There is a communal bathroom shared with other residents in the building, but it's often out of order.

Osa says she's complained to Lambeth Council but, "they don't care".

They should have been for a maximum of 56 days but they have been in the temporary accommodation for more than a year and a half.

"No one has ever come here with all the complaints and emails that I have sent," she says.

Lambeth Council apologised and said it has carried out work on the flat, "including remedial work in removing air locks and changing water flow."

A council spokesperson told ITV London said: “We have checked the supply this morning and confirmed that all cold-water outlets are working, so the property has a working toilet.

"Hot water is available throughout the building, although the pressure varies on different floors.

“We have ordered more work to improve the supply as soon as possible, including increasing the water tanks from two to three, to maximise the water flow to all floors.

"We will also be monitoring it daily with staff attending the hostel to check that all water services have supply of hot and cold water."

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