My family-of-five is forced to cram into a two bed flat next door to billionaires with Lamborghinis and Ferraris | The Sun

A FAMILY-of five has been forced to cram into a two-bed flat next door to billionaires with flash Lamborghini and Ferraris.

Those living in modest flats in Trotsworth Court, Virginia Water, feel like they're "pressed against the glass" of the ultimate luxury lifestyle.



Millionaires parade their supercars along leafy well-maintained roads lined by gargantuan mansions worth up to £50million in the exclusive Surrey suburb.

Yet just metres away, regular Brits re living in small flats built in 1958 in the style of Liverpool council housing.

We saw million-pound Aston Martins, Bugatti and Ferrari on the school run

Mansions in the prestigious Wentworth Estate, a series of private roads guarded by dogs, go for an average of £2million.

Yet most families in these flats are renting for £1,200-a-month.

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Dad-of-three Zen Hacek, 42, said his three young children are crammed into one bedroom because they can't afford to move.

The former Heathrow baggage handler is paying £1,000-a-month to live next door to billionaires.

He said: "We live in a funny world. We’re a family of five in a two-bed flat. These massive houses are empty nine months of the year and then others struggle to have anywhere to live.

"I’ve got three kids and this place is small. We want to move but can’t find anything. It’s really hard."

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Mr Hacek, whose three children are 10, six and eight, said he felt like the extreme wealth was rubbed in his face and the family are desperate to move.

The family rely on his wife's income as a carer and benefits, which barely covers their living expenses.

He added: "Especially in this area living in a tiny space is hard. My daughter will be ten in May. It’s too small, it’s not enough space for us."

Mum-of-three Yvonne Lowrie, 57, once passed the latest Aston Martin, a Bugatti and multiple Ferraris on the school run.

She told the Sun Online: "It can be surreal at times. There was one day I was taking them to school in Sunningdale and on the way we saw dozens of supercars and we counted up the price and it was millions.

"It was Aston Martins, Bugatti and Ferraris. People in their lifetime won’t see these cars unless they go to a supercar event.

"We saw this on the school run. The same day we saw the chef Gordan Ramsay driving by in his car.

"You get so used to seeing it. If we see a Porsche now it’s nothing, it’s not even exciting."

Her three sons are now grown up, and their dad has always refused to live in the area.

The nurse added: "Their father says he couldn’t live here because it’s almost like you’re pressing against a glass window and seeing the other side."

CELEBRITY HAUNT

Those living on the Trotsworth Estate can count celebrities and footballers as neighbours.

Nearby are fitness influencer Joe Wicks, Jeremy Kyle and musician Russ Abbott.

It was formerly home to Bruce Forsyth, whose wife Wilnelia Merced still owns a house there.

The nearby golf course the Wentworth club costs £200,000 for a year's membership.

Dad-of-one Michael Cudlipp, 62, a former second-hand car dealer, said his family "would rather live in a nice area in the cheapest house, than a luxury flat in a run down area".

He added: "There are some amazing cars here. There’s quite a few classic cars on a sunny day. A friend of mine here has a classic Mercedes sportscar worth £50k, made in 1972. 

"There’s a lady who drives a yellow Porsche around. I just think if they’ve earned their money then that’s up to them. I don’t think a lot of money brings happiness."

James Wyatt, co-founder and director of the one of three of the town's estate agents Barton Wyatt's, told the Sun Online the flats were built following a council flat design.

He said: "The council was presented with quite a nice design and they thought it was too modern so turned it down. They turned down several more.

"The architects then got so upset they put in a design for a block of flats designed for Liverpool Borough Council. That was what was built."




NHS worker Frank Kealey, 35, finds it "strange" living on an average salary surrounded by millionaires.

He added: "You’re seeing a huge amount of wealth. It’s ridiculous. Within a five-minute drive you get completely the opposite.

"I work in Slough and it’s a whole different word. I work in the NHS, I speak to normal people everyday and I know it’s not like this elsewhere. It intrigues me to be honest.

"I’ve seen Porches and crazy supercars everyday when I walk out to my car.

"People ride around in their golf buggies going to the wine bar and the shop down the street. Wentworth Golf Estate is just around the corner.

"They will say they’ve worked for it so I don’t hold it against them but sometimes it’s not nice to see how different it is. Their cars are worth more than my flat.”

'INCREDIBLY CHEAP'

The blocks have always been privately owned, and now house a few elderly former Wentworth Estate homeowners who don't need as much space.

Former director of Buckinghams Estate Agents Tony Morris, 74, has lived in the area for 60 years.

He moved into a Trotsworth Court flat 12 years ago.

He added: "I used to live in one of the big houses. This is a really weird block. It stands out. They’re incredibly cheap for the area.

"The flats about £320,000 each. It’s all rental and a few are buy to lets. They go for £1,200 which is not bad for the area. It’s not a huge amount.

"They should be £5,000 but they’re not. It’s an anomaly. The service charge is £150 and they do the gardens and the windows. It’s all kept really nicely."

The flats are across the road from the town's station and rows of shops – featuring a bakery, Costa and boutique clothing stores.

There's also a Coral betting shop, hairdressers and the town's doctors' surgery.

The train station is just metres away, offering a direct line into London's Waterloo in under an hour.

'IT'S MUCH SAFER'

One retiree, Alistair Donnel-Douglas, 85, moved into his £300,000 flat after leaving Cannes in the south of France to be closer to family.

He said: "It’s strange I used to live in those homes and now I’m here. This apartment is plenty big enough for me now.”

Another pensioner, Jane Cook, 75, said her wealthy neighbours brag about their four bathrooms.

She pays £1,200-a-month for her two-bed home.

She added: "It doesn’t bother me, as long as I’ve got enough to live on that’s all that matters. I knew it was an expensive area but I just wanted a flat near my daughter.

"Money isn’t everything. I’ve got a basic Panda and that does me."

Former concrete-repairman Richard Patten, 76, has lived in his flat for three years. 

He said: “You just go over there to look at the cars. There are Porches, Rolls Royces, Land Rovers and a lot of electric cars now which are £50k or £60k a go. I’m used to these big houses though. I’ve lived around them all my life."

Another resident, 49-year-old Steve Adams, said he couldn't believe his luck when he moved in.

He said: "It’s amazing around here. The police are going to pay a lot more attention to this area than they would another.

"It’s much safer. Undesirables in the area get noticed simply because there are no undesirables in the area."

Mr Adams, who pays less than a grand a month for his flat, said supercars are a regular fixture of the area.

He added: "Whenever I’m walking over to the train station with a friend I have a bet with a friend over what the most flash car I’m going to see is.

"Whether it’ll be an Aston Martin, Ferrari, there’s always something incredible parked out there. You get McLaren P1’s driving past and really exotic Ferraris."

Chanel Patel, 31, moved into her flat to be close to the train station and said the mansions "feel like a different world".

She added: "When I go on walks I look at all the houses in awe. It does feel like quite a lot of them are empty. I think that’s a shame. It’s a level of wealth I’ll never understand."






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