Residents feel the heat as rooms hit ‘40 degrees’
HEATING PROBLEMS LEAVES RESIDENTS BAKING DURING HEATWAVE
BURTON pensioners have been left baking in their rooms with their radiators “stuck on full blast” during the summer heatwave.
Heating system problems at St Paul’s Court have seen heat pumping out of the sheltered housing complex’s pipes and radiators.
One resident said the temperature in his room had been 40C, even though he had all his windows open.
Several others reported issues with heating at the three-storey block of flats, which is in St Paul’s Square, Burton and run by Sanctuary Housing.
Grandma of 19 Doris Lonsdale suffers from a chronic lung condition and says the intense heat has left her struggling to breathe.
The 74-year-old said: “The heating’s been stuck on full blast the whole time and hasn’t been off until this morning, when someone came round and turned the boilers off completely.
“My radiators haven’t been changed since I moved here nine years ago and you can’t turn them up, down or off. You can’t sleep – you can’t do anything. I’ve got a rash on my face from the constant sweating.
“It makes you feel horrible - you’re tired all the time.
“I’ve got COPD and live on the top floor of three and my breathing’s been that bad I can hardly walk to the lift to get downstairs.
“It’s made me so anxious and the whole thing’s been so distressing and depressing.”
It comes as the UK is hit with the hottest weather of the year, with temperatures peaking around 30C.
Resident Rhonda Moss said: “I’ve only lived here for a year, but I’ve had massive problems with the heating in that time. The radiators just come on of their own accord and the pipes running round the place are always hot - my granddaughter burned herself on one.
“I’ve had hot water coming out of the cold taps and even heard of residents whose toilets have pumped out hot water when they’ve been flushed.
“The heating has just been stuck on throughout the heatwave.
“I’ve felt sick and really ill because of it and everyone’s just so lethargic. The heating’s essentially stuck on all the time.
“I’d previously been able to turn some of my radiators off, but recently they’ve been stuck on all the time, pumping out heat.”
Another resident, Phil Moses, said: “The pipes are the big problem for me. I’ve had my radiators off since last June when I turned them off, but recently the large one in my flat started kicking out heat again.
“It’s been 40 degrees in my room and that’s with all the windows open.
“Sleeping has been very tough. It’s just been depressing and I’ve felt so lethargic.”
A spokesperson for Sanctuary Housing said: “We can reassure residents and their families that we are working hard to resolve this issue.
“We will continue to make welfare calls to residents to see if they need extra support and are sorry for the concern and inconvenience this situation has caused.”