A family who narrowly avoided being crushed when a first floor ceiling collapsed into their kitchen were forced to sleep on a relative’s floor after being told no alternative housing was available.

Patricia Knight, 48, from Inworth Street, Battersea, had just put her children, Amran, six, and Ajani, 14, to bed upstairs last Thursday night when she heard an “almighty crash”.

The distressed mother was greeted with a scene of devastation with rubble, dust and cobwebs littering the kitchen floor.

Fortunately, her eldest son Kevin, 32, had just left the room where hours before, the whole family had prepared a meal.

She said: “My son had only just left the kitchen. I was absolutely terrified when I heard the crash.

“If I start thinking about what could have happened, it really stresses me out. This is our home but I feel so unsafe here.

“The thing that really worries me is that there was no warning and no crack in the ceiling.

“There are lots of cracks elsewhere, so does that mean those ceilings are unsafe too?”

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Police and the fire brigade were called to the property by concerned neighbours.

Miss Knight had to wait until 5pm on Friday before housing association L&Q said it would not be providing any temporary accommodation.

L&Q sent workmen around to clear debris but, according to Miss Knight they just “dusted off” the surfaces and have not removed all the mess.

Faced with a night in, what Miss Knight considered, an unsafe building, the family ended up sleeping on the floor in her mother’s house in sweltering temperatures.

Her two younger children were so scared by the incident they missed school the next day and have refused to enter the house since.

More rubble continued to come down while our photographer was present on Friday.

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A spokesman for L&Q said: “Our contractor has removed debris and dust, replaced the cooker, fixed the electrics and restored the hot water, so the property is now in an acceptable condition for Miss Knight and her family to live in.

"We now need to carry out some further work on the property, and will soon be able to confirm dates for this work, during which we will, of course, offer Miss Knight and her family somewhere else to live.”