RESIDENTS of a council-owned estate are furious after discovering they will be hit with a bill for thousands of pounds worth of repair works.

Leaseholders of Avenue Court on Claybury Broadway in Clayhall will pay an average of more than £2,000 per flat, but say they only found out after work had already started - and the cost could yet increase.

Contractor Morrison submitted an overall estimate of £162,381 to Redbridge Homes to cover redecoration and refurbishment costs which will be divided between the 72 flats.

Leaseholder Paul Lexton, 60, who lives in Avenue Court, said: “Not one single tenant has been sent out a cost. I protested against it, I'm not paying Morrison's to sit there and have a laugh with us. I'm not paying it.”

Mr Lexton said the total cost to each leaseholder was far too much for the kind of work that was going to be carried out.

He added: “With that money I could decorate my flat, buy a new three-piece suite, a 40-inch television and still have change. It's extortion.”

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Homes insisted that consultation letters had been sent to all residents on July 2 along with two follow-up letters.

She added: “The cost per property is divided by the cost of the works to the block they live in and not over the whole estate.”

Fellow leaseholder Jeffrey Fox, 62, said: “The emails we have received from Redbridge Homes have been so dismissive. We just want to be consulted, not ridden roughshod over by the council. That's where the anger comes from.

“It's a nice estate here, people respect the properties. We love living here, we've got lovely neighbours. But when your get a bill like that, especially in these recessionary times, it really hits you.”