Shantytown estate | M6 | 66 minutes

To think that during the 60s, the Chêne Pointu housing estate, in Clichy-sous-bois, was the last word in modern comfort with its neatly mown lawns and red sun blinds. Forty years later, it offers a nightmare spectacle: two thirds of owners no longer pay their service charges and all the lifts are out of order in the ten-story blocks of buildings. They’ve even hired a porter to help residents carry their shopping upstairs. The waste pipes from the WCs leak regularly, producing foul-smelling overflowing in the stairwells. The Chêne Pointu has become the symbol of poor housing in France. Despite all these handicaps, owners are still hoping to sell their apartments and estate agents arrange visits to this apocalyptic setting. A team from 66 Minutes spent a week in these apartments on the skids.