Angry residents of a “rotting” Streatham estate are furious with Lambeth Council for cancelling works to clean up their homes for the third consecutive year.

Chunks of plaster missing from filthy outside walls, rotting windows, and dangerous bare wires in uncovered fuse boxes have made living on the Valley road estate “unbearable”, according to residents.

But last month council housing bosses broke the news to them they are to again miss out on exterior maintenance works as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures across the borough’s housing stock.

The council is trying to plug a projected £10m hole in its housing revenue account.

Now residents are circulating a petition demanding the council find the funds to go ahead with the “top priority” works.

Christine Hollins of Samuel Johnson Close said: “It’s disgusting down here. It’s like a slum. We have missed out on these works for years and it has just made the estate a miserable place to live.”

Janice Winston, head of the estate’s recently formed residents association, said other estates had seen extensive work while Valley Road was constantly neglected.

Ward councillor Julian Heather said: “The council has neglected the area for too long and what these residents are now left with is not good enough.”

The petition - which already has more than 60 signatures -will be handed to council leaders at the next council meeting.

A Lambeth Living spokeswoman said the council understood residents’ disappointment and frustration and said works would be a top priority in next year’s programme.

She added: “A number of difficult financial decisions have had to be made to balance the housing department's budget, and while we continue to try and minimise the impact on residents, there will be occasions, like this, where planned work will still go ahead, however with a delay."