Health Warning for Student Housing

One in six students across the country is living in disease-ridden and unsafe accommodation, according to a national survey carried out by the National Union of Students.

The "Housing and Health Survey 2001" found that 16 per cent of students live in squalor, with their homes infested with pests such as rats, mice and cockroaches.  The results also showed that landlords are not abiding by tenancy laws, with almost half of the students interviewed having never seen a gas certificate and 20 per cent stating they had no smoke detectors in the house.

Students are also having to live in squalor with 40 per cent coping with mould in their kitchen, bathroom or bedroom and 50 per cent had no locks on doors or windows.  In conjunction with the NUS survey, a recent investigation published last week showed that student digs were more than 30 times dirtier than pubs.

One metre of carpet in a student house contained two and a half kilos of dirt and soil whereas the average pub had only 72 grams despite regular spillage of drink and food.

Last Wednesday, students across Britain went to Westminster, on an NUS sponsored "Halloween House of Horrors" lobby, calling on ministers to enforce a scheme of licensing for all housing with multiple occupants.  The protest was met with support from both sides of the House of Commons.

Article By Miranda Schunke.

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Smashing state of the Roads!

The Roads in Sefton as we found out, even by walking down the street outside our offices, are full of glass. It took us only two paces from our door to find a smashed beer glass.  We decided to walk around to find out what type of glass is on our streets.  When we were asked why we where photographing the road by a few members of the public ventured their comments.  Jim from Southport. said "Roads are in a poor state of repair and glass is smashed all over them."   One office staff member in Southport said, "The state of Sefton's roads is awful.  With flooding due to the drains not being cleaned regularly and glass on the roads because of bottles being smashed.  It is anyone's guess as to how we  get away with driving to work without an accident." 

In our walk, we took in most of the town centre, many of the main roads were free of glass, but the back roads were covered with it.  Most of it on the pavements, where young children walk and could cut themselves very easily.  It is not just confined though to Southport's town centre, but also in the residential streets in Formby. Glass litters the pavements and roads.  Most of the glass is from Beer Bottles and Drink Bottles, but this one I pictured above is from a car windscreen.  Interestingly it has been by the college now for five days!   Remember, if you have glass bottles, put them in the BIN!  

Don't just leave them.

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