Landmark tower tenants have been 'left in the dark' about Ascham Homes’ plans after the threatened removal of balcony divider security bolts did not go ahead last week.

All residents at Fred Wigg and John Walsh towers in Montague Road, Leytonstone had received a letter saying balcony bolts would be removed on Wednesday (November 11) after a high court battle with their housing provider.

In the letter outlining the plans to remove the bolts director of property services at Ascham Homes Judith Page said: " staff will be regularly inspecting the balcony areas -as regularly as every week - if your screen is blocked and cannot be opened to carry out the inspection, we will arrange for it to be removed.

"We will not be informing people when Ascham Homes' staff will be inspecting balconies, but the inspections will take place between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday."

The Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) have said Ascham Homes staff were making tenants feel threatened.

A TRA spokesman said: “Ascham Homes is backing up demands for immediate access by an unprecedented threat, saying that tenants are at risk of ‘arrest’, a ‘fine’ or even ‘imprisonment’ if they refuse entry.”

The TRA have put forward an alternative plan backed by a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) which would leave residents “far safer, their privacy intact, avoid weekly intrusion and would cost less”.

Chair of the TRA Sonia McKenzie, said the residents’ “safety, security and privacy is at stake” if works went ahead.

She said: “Our plan is backed by an experienced building professional, would improve our security and privacy, cost less and is acceptable to the Fire Brigade on other flats.

“Ascham Homes instead proposes action which even some of their staff and a Judge thought wrong at least in part.

“They have still not contacted us and refused to properly discuss with residents what they propose to do to which flats”.

A four year project to refurbish Fred Wigg and John Walsh towers is set to begin in the next year.

It will see a cut from 234 social housing units to 160.