PEOPLE living in two makeshift Ealing council estates, composed of former shipping containers, are now being rehoused.

Residents of Meath Court in Hope Gardens, Acton, and Marston Court in Bordars Walk, Hanwell have been living in cramped conditions since the site was built almost a decade ago.

Many have reported experiences of thefts, drug dealers, mould and cockroaches.

Families, including those with children, have also reported incidents of violence, including an attempted murder, rape and trespassing in the last few months.

Labour-run Ealing Council was pressed for a debate on the future of the estates by the opposition Liberal Democrats. It was delayed until today (20).

Cllr Jon Ball, Opposition spokesperson on Planning, Licensing and Housing, said: “Families are living there in fear. Mothers told us what they had to endure day after day – one has been there for five years.”

Sophia Buxton, interim political assistant to the Labour group responded: “The task of decommissioning Meath and Marston Courts and ensuring all residents have appropriate housing elsewhere is complex and cannot be achieved overnight.

“The Liberal Democrats have sought to weaponise the lives of vulnerable residents to score political points that achieve nothing but distract from the work the administration is already doing to tackle the issue.”