HOUSING chiefs have vowed to take action over a troubled Southampton tower block.

But last night residents in the city’s Canberra Towers claimed that they were just being “fobbed off”.

The row comes just 24 hours after the Daily Echo revealed that residents had launched a campaign against the state of their flats.

They claimed it is riddled with damp and mould and they are fed up with the broken lifts.

Some have even pledged to withhold their rent until the council take action.

But yesterday council workmen were called out to the 24-storey block to put up signs warning of wet floors and covered some exposed electrical wires.

In a statement released last night the council said: “Southampton City Council’s housing services will take immediate action to address tenants’ concerns at Canberra Towers. The housing repairs team will be visiting a number of flats at Canberra, as well as its communal areas, to conduct research and Damp Reduction Initiative (DRI) surveys with tenants to identify the scale of the problems.

“We will seek to learn what are quick fixes for manageable problems, how we can work with tenants to pinpoint the causes of condensation and find solutions, what problems we may be able to attribute to building design and what future investments can we consider to fix them, such as scheduled repairs to the lifts, external cladding, roof repairs and windows.”

Residents voiced their disappointment yesterday, with one who did not want to be named saying: “The council is aware of the Facebook page and we’ve emailed two members of the council today asking for more help.

"Lots of people are wishing us well but I thought someone from the council would at least come and knock on our door to try and look into it.

"But they haven’t been here today to support us or put us at ease.”

Resident Nikki Donnarumma has organised a petition to campaign for repairs. She said: “The council have been in today and put in wet floor signs and are trying to get rid of the mould but I think they’ve just fobbed us off.”

A last night council housing chief Warwick Payne also stepped into the row and has pledged to help.

He has written to council maintenance staff and ordered that repairs are carried out.

In a letter to the city council housing department he said: “Residents have reported black water leaking out of pipes in flats three and five on the first floor, and it’s suspected flat four might be affected as well.

“If this issue could be treated as a repair priority I’d be very grateful.”

PANEL YESTERDAY the Daily Echo inspected Canberra Towers’ sister blocks around the city.

Block representative of Millbrook Towers Mo Simmons, 75, said a rusty external soil pipe which runs down the outside of her 20th floor flat has caused damp in her kitchen to the extent that cupboards and tiling will have to be replaced.

Residents have been told the pipe is due to be replaced in March, at a cost of £300,000.

In November Ms Simmons gathered 121 signatures in a petition against the council’s decision not to clad the outside of Millbrook Towers and asking for ‘a robust and cost effective heating system.’ Southampton City Council responded that: “Millbrook Towers is built of a traditional cavity construction which means it does not attract grant funding for cladding the exterior of the building unlike some towers in Southampton. However, we are currently exploring the possibility of cavity insulation and improved roof insulation for the building which may improve the thermal performance of the building.”

Residents at Redbridge Towers praised their warden Sue Gregford for working hard to keep communal areas and gardens clean.