

The University has insisted that the grey and murky water running from the taps in one UCL hall was “safe to drink”.
A frustrated James Lighthill resident said the “disgusting” water, so murky she “can’t see through it”, is found in every warm tap in her flat kitchen and en-suite bathrooms and has been an issue since the start of this term.
A University spokesperson insisted this was a “common” problem to do with air in the pipes. They stood by a previous claim by UCL Accommodation that water from all taps is safe to drink unless labelled otherwise.
The spokesperson added: “Purely as a precaution, we sent a number of samples for drinking-water analysis to a United Kingdom Accreditation Service-accredited laboratory which has confirmed in writing the water is safe to drink.
“We have now informed the residents at James Lighthill House and can share the drinking water certificate on request.”
But some residents say they do not feel reassured by the claim. One said: “It just makes it feel unsafe, with the water you’re drinking… because if the warm water is like that, then I don’t think the cold water is going to be any better.”
The incident has raised concerns about the quality of drinking water in UCL Accommodation and adds to reports of insalubrity in UCL halls this year after a live worm and rotten oranges were found in a catered hall last November.
The dissatisfied resident criticised the “ridiculous” cost of rent “compared to the problems there are”, with the cost of a single en-suite room at James Lighthill set at £309.47 per week.
There is currently no Hall Community Officer for James Lighthill, one of the 47 roles left vacant or uncontested at October’s Rep Elections. Amongst other responsibilities, Hall Community Officers perform the crucial task of representing their fellow residents during regular meetings with UCL Accommodation.
Ben Scanlan, the Student’s Union Accommodation and Housing Officer, said: “Once again, we are seeing how UCL’s decaying housing stock, and lack of care is negatively impacting student wellbeing.
“Students are paying hundreds of pounds a week for accommodation that is quite simply not up to standard.
“UCL makes over 10 million pounds of profit from accommodation every year now, and this profit seems to be coming at the expense of students – the very reason the University exists in the first place.”