By Chenoa Colaco
Rosebery Hall experienced flooding on several floors after a water pipe blockage on 4 October, causing malfunctioning bathrooms and requiring all students to have dinner as a takeaway in their room for one night.
According to the university, the blockage was caused by wet wipes and sanitary products.
Lamisa Chowdhury, a second-year Law student, described the whole situation as a “nightmare.” Chowdhury said that the “floods got out of hand” when her floor and the lifts began to flood and all the female bathrooms had to be locked.
Furthermore, the closure of the female bathrooms meant that some female students had to use the male bathrooms for three hours, which Chowdhury describes as a “health and safety concern” as some of the male bathrooms do not have locks. Another student describes a pact made between the third and fourth floor wherein the third floor male bathroom was ‘given’ to the girls for privacy.
For one night, the daily dinner served to Rosebery students could not be hosted in the usual restaurant due to basement floors being flooded. As a result, students were given their food in takeaway boxes.
While most students interviewed expressed the inconvenience of the situation, they praised the Rosebery Hall staff for being efficient and helpful during this time.
Parniyan Bashar, a third-year Sociology student who has lived in Rosebery Hall for three years, stated that while “stuff like this happens a lot, I know they’re really accommodating when mishaps happen and they really do try their best to fix it as quickly as possible.” She further describes that the situation was solved in “a few hours” and the restaurant was “literally fixed in one day.”
While the pipe is still being repaired, standard operations, including dinner provision, have been restored.
Rosebery Hall’s Warden, Jack Winterton, stated, “We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your support and understanding during the recent flood in our restaurant. We understand that the situation was not ideal, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation while we resolved the issue.”
An LSE spokesperson said: “Rosebery Hall experienced a flood last week after wet wipes and sanitary products were flushed down the WC causing a pipe blockage.
“Because the flood started during the evening meal time, the restaurant was cleared and students were served their evening meals as takeaway to be consumed away from the flooded area.
“Maintenance and cleaning staff were on site and cleared the blockage. Cleaning staff gave the affected area a deep clean the following morning and the dining room was opened later that day.”
