1.   The walls were peeling from the damp.

2.   But the walls are peeling, nurses use vinegar as a disinfectant, and disposable rubber gloves are carefully washed and reused.

3.   The painters sanded the walls, then primed and repainted them, but now the walls are peeling again.

4.   The ceiling tiles are waterlogged, the linoleum floor is cracked and the walls are peeling at the struggling Portuguese restaurant run by Jorge Lopes.

5.   Tiles covering a section of its facade are unwashed, the white walls are peeling, plants in the tiny garden are dry.

6.   The walls are peeling, the bannister on the main staircase has crumbled away and a colony of cats camp among the debris and rubbish.