{"id":476428,"date":"2026-04-12T20:42:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T19:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/?p=476428"},"modified":"2026-04-12T20:43:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T19:43:01","slug":"hospital-worker-in-peckham-left-with-a-hole-in-his-ceiling-big-enough-to-climb-through-for-months-after-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/peckham\/hospital-worker-in-peckham-left-with-a-hole-in-his-ceiling-big-enough-to-climb-through-for-months-after-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"Hospital worker in Peckham left with a \u2018hole in his ceiling big enough to climb through\u2019 for months after storm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>An NHS worker in Peckham&#8217;s ceiling imploded after a storm in January, creating a hole &#8216;large enough to climb through&#8217; \u2013 and it still hasn&#8217;t been fixed two months later.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Darren Say, who lives in a flat for key workers managed by Clarion Housing, said a heavy rainstorm on at the end of January caused water to begin leaking through his ceiling.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"69959\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448384\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">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<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>On 29 January, the senior pharmacy technician at King\u2019s College Hospital returned from a long shift to find a pool of water on the floor and a metre-long hole in the ceiling.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"396\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-hole-dripping-396x560.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-hole-dripping-396x560.jpeg 396w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-hole-dripping-198x280.jpeg 198w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-hole-dripping-768x1086.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-hole-dripping-103x146.jpeg 103w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-hole-dripping-750x1061.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-hole-dripping.jpeg 936w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 396px) 100vw, 396px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The ceiling began dripping and pooling with water after a storm in January (Credit- Darren Say)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"363\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-containers-dripping-363x560.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476671\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-containers-dripping-363x560.jpeg 363w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-containers-dripping-182x280.jpeg 182w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-containers-dripping-768x1183.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-containers-dripping-95x146.jpeg 95w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-containers-dripping-750x1156.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-containers-dripping.jpeg 954w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 363px) 100vw, 363px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Darren says he had to catch the dripping water in eight different containers (Credit- Darren Say)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"390\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-mouldy-hole-390x560.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-mouldy-hole-390x560.jpg 390w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-mouldy-hole-195x280.jpg 195w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-mouldy-hole-768x1103.jpg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-mouldy-hole-102x146.jpg 102w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-mouldy-hole-750x1077.jpg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-mouldy-hole.jpg 944w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A photo of the hole taken at the end of Janaury (Credit- Darren Say)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"422\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-422x560.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-422x560.jpg 422w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-211x280.jpg 211w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-768x1020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-1542x2048.jpg 1542w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-110x146.jpg 110w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-1320x1753.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-750x996.jpg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-1140x1514.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PXL_20260403_175453341-scaled.jpg 1928w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A photo of the hole taken on Friday 3 April (Credit- Darren Say)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Clarion Housing had treated the initial leak as an &#8217;emergency&#8217; and sent a roofer to fix the problem the same day. However, the contractor said they could not access the roof to repair it without scaffolding being erected. <\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"68153\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448385\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMTkxOTgzMDU1IiBjbGFzcz0ic291dGgtY29udGVudCBzb3V0aC1lbnRpdHktcGxhY2VtZW50IiBzdHlsZT0ibWFyZ2luLWxlZnQ6IGF1dG87bWFyZ2luLXJpZ2h0OiBhdXRvO3RleHQtYWxpZ246IGNlbnRlcjsiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC0yeDEiPg0KPHNjcmlwdD4NCmdvb2dsZXRhZy5jbWQucHVzaChmdW5jdGlvbigpIHsgZ29vZ2xldGFnLmRpc3BsYXkoJ2Rpdi1ncHQtYWQtMngxJyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgICAgICAgPC9kaXY+<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The ceiling begun to bulge and swell over the next six days and I told them it was going to collapse soon,&#8221; Darren said. &#8220;It eventually did and now there\u2019s just a see-through hole where I can see the metal roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It has stressed me out a lot \u2013 I work long days so I have had to come home to a freezing flat with a huge hole in the ceiling over the winter months.&#8221; <\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71156\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448386\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtNTUwNDU1NzkzIiBjbGFzcz0ic291dGgtaW4tYXJ0aWNsZS1tcHU5IHNvdXRoLWVudGl0eS1wbGFjZW1lbnQiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHU5Ij4NCjxzY3JpcHQ+DQpnb29nbGV0YWcuY21kLnB1c2goZnVuY3Rpb24oKSB7IGdvb2dsZXRhZy5kaXNwbGF5KCdkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLW1wdTknKTsgfSk7DQo8L3NjcmlwdD4NCjwvZGl2PiAgICAgPC9kaXY+<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>The issue had also spread to the communal corridor outside his flat, where water was also dripping down onto the floor. The leak in the community area has now been fixed, but the hole in Darren&#8217;s flat remains open. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"442\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-communal-area-442x560.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-communal-area-442x560.jpeg 442w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-communal-area-221x280.jpeg 221w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-communal-area-768x973.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-communal-area-115x146.jpeg 115w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-communal-area-750x951.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Darren-Say-communal-area.jpeg 950w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The communal area outside Darren&#8217;s flat Meanwhile (Credit- Darren Say)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Darren says that Clarion sent another contractor to his flat when the ceiling initially collapsed but says the problem remained: &#8220;All they did was pull down some mouldy material that was hanging out of the hole and said there was nothing they could do until the roof was repaired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I waited every day for scaffolding to appear so they could fix the roof but it never came \u2013 until one day the leaking just stopped, but the hole remained.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Darren soon realised that the cause of the leak appeared to have been fixed, but no one had been sent to repair or cover the hole in his ceiling. <\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71157\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448387\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMTU1OTUzODE0IiBjbGFzcz0ic291dGgtaW4tYXJ0aWNsZS1tcHUtMTAgc291dGgtZW50aXR5LXBsYWNlbWVudCI+PCEtLSAgLzE1NDcyNTA3MCwyMjY5NDE5Njk2OS9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzL3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3MgLS0+DQo8ZGl2IGlkPSJkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLW1wdTEwIj4NCjxzY3JpcHQ+DQpnb29nbGV0YWcuY21kLnB1c2goZnVuY3Rpb24oKSB7IGdvb2dsZXRhZy5kaXNwbGF5KCdkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLW1wdTEwJyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI called Clarion again to ask when it would be fixed, and I was told the roof had been repaired and that my ceiling repair had been escalated to a supervisor. I was told someone would call me within 48 hours. That was on 24 February \u2013 and I still haven\u2019t heard anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Clarion spokesperson said: \u201cWe\u2019re very sorry for the delay in repairs to Mr Say\u2019s ceiling which we recognise should have been completed much earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFollowing reports of a leak, the source was incorrectly identified initially and a further inspection confirmed this was caused by a faulty pipe within the ceiling void, which has now been repaired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;While we made safe the affected areas and completed repairs to the communal space, there was an unacceptable delay in progressing the internal repairs to Mr Say\u2019s home for which we sincerely apologise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAn appointment is in place to complete the remaining repairs and we are committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible while keeping Mr Say updated on progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"nIba5pvo7jtdFEwGhZluNcegJHOi9k0XxmCSUfRWsKYBTQqP8y3LM\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"35t7ripWKN\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/bermondsey\/desperate-bermondsey-tenant-claims-he-has-started-sleeping-on-the-streets-after-southwark-council-failed-to-fix-a-leak-in-his-property-for-six-months\/\">Desperate Bermondsey tenant claims he has started sleeping on the streets, after Southwark Council &#8216;failed&#8217; to fix a leak in his property for six months<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Desperate Bermondsey tenant claims he has started sleeping on the streets, after Southwark Council &#8216;failed&#8217; to fix a leak in his property for six months&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/bermondsey\/desperate-bermondsey-tenant-claims-he-has-started-sleeping-on-the-streets-after-southwark-council-failed-to-fix-a-leak-in-his-property-for-six-months\/embed\/#?secret=pXaxYfITcY#?secret=35t7ripWKN\" data-secret=\"35t7ripWKN\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An NHS worker in Peckham&#8217;s ceiling imploded after a storm in January, creating a hole &#8216;large enough to climb through&#8217; \u2013 and it still hasn&#8217;t been fixed two months later. Darren Say, who lives in a flat for key workers managed by Clarion Housing, said a heavy rainstorm on at the end of January caused [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19233,"featured_media":476668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"33"},"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7375,13539,13549,13602,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-476428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","category-housing","category-news","category-peckham"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476428"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477009,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476428\/revisions\/477009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}