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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Sammy Gecsoyler and Michael Goodier

‘Do not buy these flats’: residents warn about unbearable heat inside London new-builds

Hi-rise buildings
Leaside Lock is in Tower Hamlets, the most densely populated borough in the UK, which ranks poorly for green space. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

The sweltering conditions inside Leaside Lock, a new-build development in east London, are hardly a secret. Last June, a warning written in big, capital letters was stuck to the window of one flat. “DO NOT BUY THESE FLATS. TOO HOT,” it read.

It was hard to miss for those walking past the looming high-rises and, after being snapped and posted on social media, the placard has garnered more than 500,000 views. More than a year on, during a summer when the UK recorded its second-warmest June and fifth-hottest July since 1884, residents in the tallest, south-facing block say heat is still an issue.

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