ANGRY residents of a Hampshire tower block are calling for their home to be demolished after years of problems including mould, damp and broken lifts.

Following this week’s Grenfell Tower disaster, tenants of Canberra Towers have demanded their apartment block be knocked down, claiming it is not only run-down but also is unsafe.

More than 150 people have signed a petition calling for Southampton City Council to rehouse residents of the flats in Weston.

Residents of the 24-storey tower say it has no sprinkler system, the fire alarms are too quiet to wake anyone up and the “only escape is the stairs”.

However, Southampton City Council leader Simon Letts has said cash will be put into Canberra Towers as well as Redbridge and Millbrook Towers “before the end of the year”.

Speaking to the Echo, Cllr Letts said: “I can’t say yet how much money, but it will be multi-millions.”

He added that consultations with residents to determine which improvements need to be made will be carried out, but said the council will seek advice from Hampshire Fire and Rescue about whether sprinklers needed to be installed. He said there were no plans to demolish Canberra Towers and added: “We have 10,000 people on our housing waiting list.”

The Canberra residents’ online petition comes just weeks after the Echo reported a bedbug infestation at the block, and just a year after the city council vowed to tackle mould, damp and broken lifts.

But residents say problems haven’t been solved, with “practically every resident experiencing some type of mould” and only one functioning lift for over a year.

Tenants have also complained of cracks in brickwork and balconies that flood “like a swimming pool”.

Sara Russell, 31, who has lived in the block for five years, said: “I’ve got a four-month-old and an eight year old with autism. I’ve been campaigning for two years to get things changed. But we just keep getting fobbed off.

“My husband works full-time and we pay full rent of £430 a month for our two-bed flat.

“But we’ve only had one lift for two years. I have to leave for the school run an hour early to be able to use the lift because there’s a queue.”

Sara added that plumbing problems meant it took an hour for the water to drain from her bath.

She invited council leader Simon Letts to visit her at home last week and he came on Tuesday.

Sara said: “He wouldn’t give us anything in writing about when things would be fixed. I’ve met Warwick Payne (the housing portfolio holder) twice in the last two years. He said the improvements would be made last year. Simon Letts said the improvements wouldn’t be made until next year.”

The Canberra residents’ concerns have been heightened by the events in London.

Writing on the petition site, resident Amy B said: “A majority of residents in our block are elderly, disabled or children. The three most vulnerable type of people in the event of fire.”