A mother from West London has revealed she was forced to flee her own home after a gang of drug dealers repeatedly targeted the property, subjecting her to threats with machetes and a violent break-in. This terrifying situation unfolded in a house she had complained for years was riddled with severe damp and mould.
A Home Under Siege
Nancy, a pseudonym for the mum in her 40s, told MyLondon that she has endured over a year of harassment from criminals operating near her home. She described being heckled, threatened with a machete, and having motorbikes driven aggressively around her. The gang's goal, she believes, was to 'cuckoo' the property – a term for taking over a home to use as a base for dealing drugs.
The family's troubles were compounded by the poor condition of the council property. Nancy has provided evidence of numerous complaints about damp and mould made to Ealing Council dating back to 2013. Photographs show significant disrepair, including tiles falling down in the bathroom and water pouring from the kitchen ceiling.
Escalating Threats and a Violent Attack
The situation reached a critical point in May when Nancy discovered what she suspected was a firearm in her garden. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they attended and identified the item as an airsoft weapon. Ealing Council was also made aware of the incident. Fearing for her children's safety, Nancy sent them to live with her elderly mother, choosing to stay behind herself to avoid drawing trouble to her mum's door.
Then, in July, when her children were briefly back home, two men broke into the house and assaulted her. "One night I woke up and there were two boys in my house and they threatened me with a knife and pushed me on the sofa and said ‘Where are the drugs? Where are the drugs?'" she recounted. Police confirmed they were called to reports of two men breaking in and making threats to kill, though they noted Nancy was unwilling to provide a formal statement at the time due to fear for her safety.
Life in Temporary Accommodation
Following the traumatic break-in, Nancy was sectioned in hospital for one night. The council then moved the family into emergency temporary accommodation. However, Nancy claims these properties were also unsuitable, showing photos of bed bugs, cockroaches, and in one instance, an adult nappy filled with human excrement. The family even spent one night sleeping in a hotel foyer after a booking mix-up with the council.
They are now living in a single room in a hotel in Ealing. Nancy, who suffers from severe mental health issues, says the confinement is taking a heavy toll. "It's horrible staring at the same four walls," she said. "I have to hide in the bathroom to get some time to myself. It’s affecting my mental health so much I’m at breaking point." She expressed a desperate desire to work and provide a stable home for her children, rejecting any notion that she is a 'scrounger'.
Council Response and an Ongoing Dispute
An Ealing Council spokesperson expressed sympathy for the family's "very difficult circumstances". They stated that after Nancy reported her concerns in July, the family was "immediately moved into temporary accommodation, away from danger."
The council asserts that they offered Nancy a maisonette with a garden in Acton, which she rejected without viewing it. They maintain the property was appropriate for her needs and was offered after consultation with social services. The council's position is that Nancy will remain in temporary accommodation until she accepts another offer.
Nancy refutes this, stating she refused the Acton property because it was too far from her children's current school. She was also offered a housing association property but feared it would mean losing her hard-won secure council tenancy. Her goal is a secure tenancy in her local area, close to her children's school and her support network, and in a home free from damp and mould.
