People in the temporary accommodation say they are being housed in ‘a place to rival horror movies’
Mount Guest House in Audenshaw(Image: Submitted)
Homeless people who are being temporarily housed in a B&B have complained about ‘shocking conditions’ they have had to endure. Residents of the Mount Guest House in Audenshaw claim the breakfast is ‘inedible’, the microwave is unclean and the fridges smell.
They have criticised the strict rules enforced at the temporary accommodation, describing it as ‘borderline torture’ and claiming ‘you get treated better in jail’. Residents say they have complained to Tameside Council, but the council says it has carried out unannounced spot checks of the building and had no concerns.
But reviews of the hotel on Google and TripAdvisor have also described the property as ‘dirty’, ‘smelly’ and ‘more like a prison’.
A staff member at the B&B told the Manchester Evening News that all of the claims made by the current residents are ‘not true’, insisting that there is ‘enough food for everybody’ and that the ‘whole place is clean’.
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However, footage from inside the hotel that has been shared with the M.E.N. shows residents retching as they open a fridge-freezer.
Asked to describe the smell, Dannie-Ray Roberts who has been living at the B&B since May told the M.E.N. the fridge-freezers are ‘absolutely disgusting’ and like a ‘sewer’, adding that it made her think of the dishevelled protagonist from TV series Shameless.
The fridge is ‘absolutely disgusting'(Image: Dew S (TripAdvisor))
The 34-year-old woman from Dukinfield said: “Imagine going to Frank Gallagher’s house and going into his fridge-freezer.”
Her friend, Benjamin Jolley, 34, from Denton, added: “Or just sucking the juice out of Frank Gallagher’s hair or sock.”
Miss Roberts, a resident who became homeless in May following a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction, claims to have seen rats at the premises.
Miss Roberts says she has seen rats at the hotel(Image: Dew S (TripAdvisor))
Miss Roberts, who has a 10-year-old son, also complained about the food which is provided at the temporary accommodation.
She said: “The breakfast that’s put on is absolutely disgusting. You get a tray with 10 pieces of bread. That’s not enough to feed half of us.
“The cereal, I wouldn’t trust it. It’s stale.”
According to the mum from Dukinfield, breakfast is provided at no cost, but there are no cooking facilities to prepare other meals.
Having to buy food every day since the end of May has put her £1,000 into her overdraft, she says, as she waits for a home.
Breakfast is provided at no cost(Image: Submitted)
Miss Roberts, whose friend has also been living at the B&B since February, complained about strict rules at the accommodation too.
She claims residents are not allowed to go to each other’s rooms and said she was told off for socialising with her friend outside.
She said: “I suffer from serious mental health and PTSD and other things.
“I need people around me to support me to stop the voices in my head.
“I can’t even go to my friend’s room to make a brew.”
Miss Roberts says she has complained to the council about the condition of the accommodation.
Negative reviews have been left online(Image: Dew S (TripAdvisor))
She added: “You get treated better in jail because you get hot meals, you get a TV in your cell, you get to chill with your friends in your cell. This is borderline torture.”
A Tameside Council Spokesperson said: “All accommodation we use is inspected by housing standards on a regular basis, and if anybody raises concerns, we will request additional inspections. We have carried out unannounced spot checks of the building and have not had any concerns.
“Temporary accommodation is always the last resort, and we work extremely hard to prevent households from becoming homeless in the first instance.
“We actively encourage people to reach out to us as soon as they are having any housing difficulties for the support of the Housing Advice team.
“In addition, we have an online self-help tool called AdviceAid which can be accessed at any time of day or night for housing-related advice.”
According to one reviewer on TripAdvisor, the B&B accommodation is ‘dirty, run down and generally uncared for’.
In the most-recent review on the site, posted in March this year, the reviewer says: “Rooms are all dirty and neglected. Never cleaned. Furniture is all broken and very worn. Mattresses are all stained yellow and stink. The place on the whole smells of curry, sweat, cheesy feet and mould all rolled into one.
“No cooking facilities apart from a filthy microwave and toaster. To use the washer and dryer is costs £5 per use. The dryer stinks of sweat. Council do not care for the place and how awful the facilities are.”
Residents say there are strict rules(Image: Dew S (TripAdvisor))
And in the most-recent review of Mount Guest House in Google, posted in May this year, the reviewer describes a similar scene.
“The Mount Guest House is currently used by TMBC to house homeless people and families. All of the facilities within the house are substandard. The victims of TMBC have to endure broken bathroom suits, near derelict flooring throughout the building, no cooking facilities to ensure the chance of having a nourishing meal, all that is on offer are two rusty, filthy microwaves.
“The dining area which houses several fridge freezers full of mouldy food, is constantly dirty with food on table coverings and dirt up the walls, truly a place to avoid eating in. The breakfast offered to the inmates is left for hours sat in the sun with the milk slowly changing to cottage cream, the preserves are not kept clean with many people not using clean cutlery.
Some reviews claim the property is unclean(Image: Dew S (TripAdvisor))
“Walking through the building to your cell you will inevitably play a tune with the creaking floor boards whilst going through the sensory assault with the varying smells from faeces, mature cheddar toe cheese and the old classic.. dirty sweat eau de perfume.
“Mount Guest House is truly a place to rival horror movies.”