Residents at Westpoint apartment building described all water was cut off, only for the building to flood when it was turned back on
Residents were forced to leave their homes due to flooding after the water supply to their block of flats failed. People living at Westpoint apartment block in Old Trafford said they had experienced recurring issues with the water and electricity supply prior to what property management called a “major burst” in the building’s basement on Monday, March 25.
When the water was restored the high pressure sent water flooding into apartments, including leaking out of toilets. Resident Salina Sinyee Lo claimed that the whole building was left smelling “like s**t”.
Videos from inside show people paddling through water in the flats and corridors. Issues with the water supply were not a new problem according to Salina, who says that she has counted 47 days without hot water since September 2024, when “issues” started.
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But things escalated on March 25 when the water supply was completely cut off, meaning residents couldn’t shower or even flush the toilet.
When firefighters arrived they were forced to cut the power to the building as a safety measure.
Residents were then left with the flooded out apartments and no water or power between March 25 and today (Tuesday, April 1).
Resident Isaac Williams said: “There was about seven feet of water in the basement. We didn’t know what to do or where to go.”
Salina, 41, has lived in the apartment block for more than a year and has been left despondent by the situation.
“It’s hopeless,” she said. “Who can help us? I feel the system is broken, you don’t get any protection from anyone.
“Water and heating are supposed to be needs, still nobody is doing anything. Where’s the protection for the people who live here?”
The whole situation has left Salina in a desperate scenario. She said: “I feel really s**t. I was having a mental breakdown.
“Last night I heard the news that finally we have water, then suddenly I receive messages saying it’s starting to flood. I was like no f**king way.
“I feel more frustrated I’m still living in the s**thole. You can’t take a shower, and I can’t flush the toilet. It’s so stressful.”
She added: “Nobody is trying to help us. Every time they give us a bad reply.”
Isaac said: “People’s toilets started overflowing. A lot of people who hadn’t returned, their flats were flooding and they didn’t realise.”
The situation meant that residents found alternative accommodation, but while they received £90 to help, for those who didn’t have anyone to stay with nearby the costs quickly started mounting.
“People are spending a month’s rent on accommodation, and they’re not sure when they’re going to get that money back,” said Isaac.
“They’re bankrupting themselves because they don’t have running water or electricity.”
Some residents, including Salina and Issac, also rented through different management companies and found themselves struggling to find somewhere else as the payment to them took longer.
Meanwhile, the source of the leak remained a problem. Isaac said: “The fire service ended up threatening to kick down doors to find the root of the problem.”
While water was shut off both residents and the property management confirmed that bottled water was provided to residents, but this was allocated per flat rather than per person.
Salina said: “Every flat got six bottles of water, per flat not per person. It was ridiculous, we can’t flush the toilet.”
Resident Khiara Atkin was furious, saying: “There is NO communication from the property managers, they show no sympathy for people who work extremely hard just to survive and hardly get by.
“They do not help anybody and do not care. There are pregnant women, children, new-borns, animals, ill of health tenants, all who have been left to suffer.”
She added: “No water for a week, and then to flood us and leave us without power AGAIN. When do we say enough is enough?”
When Isaac returned to the building on the afternoon of April 1 he was greeted by an “absolutely horrendous” smell in the building.
Fortunately, by that point the power had come back on, but there was still water all over the floors.
Multiple residents spoke of how problems with the water and electricity supply had been stretching back to September 2024. For one resident, who did not wish to be named, the problems were the latest in a long line.
The resident shared that they had recently had surgery, and moved out of their flat which they still paid rent on because power cuts were so frequent they were worried about being stranded in their flat.
They said: “I’m paying £1,050 a month and I’ve not lived there for two months. I’m too scared to live there because I might get stuck.”
When the resident tried to end their contract early, they claimed they were told they would need to pay rent until another tenant was found, would lose their deposit, and would need to pay for the property to be advertised.
Westpoint is a privately run apartment block which according to its website lets out flats ranging from “compact” studios listed for £205 a week, up to three-bed shared flats for £598 a week. It is mainly aimed at students and young professionals.
A spokesperson for Manchester Apartments, which owns the block, said in a statement: “We can confirm that there was an incident at Westpoint in the early hours of Tuesday 25th March, where a major burst in the basement resulted in water being cut off from the building.
“On Wednesday 26th March, once the extent of the damage, and repair timelines were understood, we gave residents a range of compensatory options.”
They added: “Residents have been kept up to date and communicated with on a regular basis throughout the management of this incident, and were informed that their accommodation costs would be covered up to an agreed amount, and that the rent payable in April would not be collected as usual to ensure they had funds to cover their accommodation costs.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At just before 5.55am on Tuesday (March 25) two fire engines from Moss Side and Salford fire stations were called to reports of flooding at an apartment block on Chester Road, Trafford.
“Firefighters worked alongside partners from Electricity North West to make the area safe and were in attendance for around three hours.”