A squatter cleaning team from SafeGroup Services has cleared a building in London after finding the illegal occupants had made themselves at home with their own party room.
The property is due to be knocked down to make way for a new development, but the squatters had made it so dirty and unhygienic it was unsafe to demolish.
It took the SafeGroup specialist cleaning team a week to clear out 15 tonnes of waste from the disused petrol station and offices, and disinfect the site.
SafeGroup Services are squatter cleaning and environmental cleaning specialists, and have all the expertise and equipment needed to manage the many hazardous waste issues associated with premises that have been illegally occupied.
The buildings in Shoreditch had been used by squatters for several years, but is now due to be redeveloped. It had been left in an unhygienic and filthy state. So it had to be deep-cleaned before demolition workers could move in.
SafeGroup Services Business Development Manager Colin Williams said: “The office building shares an adjoining wall with a historical monastery, so it could not just be knocked down.
“Even if that was possible, site workers would still need to have access to the building, and all hazardous waste had to be removed, so our extreme cleaning and bio-hazardous waste disposal expertise was still needed.”
The squatters had occupied the property for so long, that it had been turned into a squatters’ hotel, with rooms set aside for different needs. There was even a party room, complete with a bar.
Colin Williams said: “Squatter cleaning follows a number of clear steps to address various hazards. Our first task was to fumigate the building because it was infested with fleas and other insect pests.
“Once that was done, we could carry out a needle sweep to clear hypodermic needles and other hazardous objects. We then cleared other biological hazards, including sewage waste in the toilets.
“Then we were able to clear the furniture, other junk, and large piles of waste paper, most of it magazines, which some of the squatters may have been paid for to distribute. In one room, hundreds of pages were used as wallpaper.
“Finally, we sanitised all areas, by cleaning with strong disinfectant, to ensure the site demolition workers remained safe while they were inside the building.
“If the building was to be retained, we probably would have been commissioned to carry out a full environmental deep clean, but as it was going to be demolished it was not needed.”
As well as squatter cleaning, SafeGroup Services offers other specialist cleaning services, including fly tipping clearance, flood and fire and smoke damage cleaning, and flood damage recovery, including building drying.
For more information on these national services, contact SafeGroup Services: 0800 668 1268
