Sheltered housing residents left waiting for clean-up after tragic death of neighbour

THE management company of a sheltered housing complex in Melksham has been criticised for the length of time it took to clean properties affected by the tragic death of a resident, who lay undiscovered for up to two weeks. 

A concerned friend of residents living in Rowley Place, who did not want to give their name, explained that whilst managers Selwood Housing had promised a deep-clean would be carried out on properties affected, residents were still waiting over a week later after the discovery of the neighbour’s body, for the service to be carried out.

“There is an infestation of flies – the floors and windows in one flat are covered in blue bottles,” said the concerned friend talking to Melksham News. “They have been left with cans of fly spray and been told to manage for the time being. They (Selwood Housing) won’t tell us when the deep clean will be carried out.

“It is causing serious distress. One lady is depressed and has had to leave her flat and sleep next door, and another lady with COPD is struggling to cope with the flies as the fly spray is not good for her condition. No-one should have to live like this!”

After enquiries by Melksham News, Selwood Housing apologised for the delay and said that the deep clean of properties would take place on Thursday 12th July, 12 days after the discovery of the deceased resident. They also explained that the delay was because of the ‘complexity of the work’ required and the need for a ‘specialist contractor’ to complete the work.

A Selwood Housing spokesperson said, “Firstly, our thoughts are with the family and friends of our resident at this difficult time. We can confirm that a Selwood Housing resident at Rowley Place, Melksham, sadly passed away and was found by police and a Selwood Housing neighbourhood manager on Friday 29th June.

“Given these difficult circumstances, on Monday 2nd July Selwood Housing offered to take responsibility for arranging cleaning of the property so that family members would not need to do this. We contacted a specialist agency who visited the property for inspection on Thursday 5th July. A deep clean of the property will take place on Thursday 12th July.

“Due to the serious nature of this incident and the extent and complexity of the work required, only a specialist contractor can carry this out. In order to ensure the work is carried out correctly, the supplier had to first visit the property to carry out an inspection.

“Our specialist cleaning supplier originally provided a date of Monday 16th July as the earliest they could carry out the deep clean at the property due to a high volume of work. Due to the seriousness of the situation and the fact that there are residents in neighbouring properties, we pressed for this to be improved and as a result the contractor will now attend on Thursday 12 July.

“We are sorry it has not been possible to get a deep clean carried out sooner, however we have worked hard to secure this as quickly as was possible. We understand that this is an extremely difficult time for everyone affected and we have been in regular contact with residents to closely monitor the situation.

“Any resident whose home is affected will have their property cleaned.  We have arranged temporary alternative accommodation for one resident.

“A member of our neighbourhoods team has been at Rowley Place, talking to residents to update them and to see if any require additional support. We have been working closely with those directly affected. Their flats, plus communal areas will also be cleaned thoroughly by our housekeeper and caretaking team.

“We would like to respond to the description reportedly used of a fly ‘infestation’. Our neighbourhood team have seen evidence of some flies at Rowley Place and our housekeeping team are taking steps to minimise this. However we have not witnessed an ‘infestation’ in communal areas or neighbouring flats as has been reportedly described.

“It is also to be noted that our housekeeping team regularly attend and clean all communal areas at Rowley Place, and this has continued over this time.

“Rowley Place provides mainstream sheltered housing, as opposed to the support that would be provided in a dedicated care home. Sheltered housing is designed for people over the age of 50, as well as people under 50 who have disabilities.  It offers customers their own home and independence, but with the benefit of communal facilities, lower running costs and major repairs covered by the landlord.  Some sheltered housing residents use a ‘help to live at home’ service provided by the local authority, if they require additional support.

“As a social landlord, Selwood Housing is responsible for the maintenance and safety of our properties.”