ELDERLY PEOPLE LEFT WITH NO HEATING
THE owners and factors of a block of flats in Greenock for elderly people left them without any heating for days as temperatures plummeted.
Residents at Mariners’ Court, behind the old home for seafarers which closed down last year, were left shivering in the cold after the boiler system failed.
One of those affected, Jenny Renaud-Gillon, 86, says residents were only supplied with temporary heaters THREE DAYS later, after complaints were made - and the system is still not fixed over a week on.
Jenny said: “It’s an absolute disgrace.”
THE owners and factors of a block of flats in Greenock for elderly people left them without any heating for days as temperatures plummeted.
Residents at Mariners’ Court, behind the old home for seafarers which closed down last year, were left shivering in the cold after the system failed last Friday.
One of those affected, Jenny Renaud-Gillon, 86, who suffers from a string of health problems, says residents were only supplied with temporary heaters THREE DAYS later, after complaints were made.
Over a week on, the broken system has still not been repaired - with residents told that an excavation will be required to fix the pipe supplying the building and that this will ‘proceed as quickly as possible’.
OAP Jenny described the handling of the situation as an ‘absolute disgrace’, as heating is included in the rent that she and other residents in the complex pay for.
Furious Jenny said: “I’m not paying £400 a month to be cold.
“I have other bills to pay, telephone, broadband, electricity and council tax and my alarm system, it’s £490 all in for this wee studio flat.
“Most of my friends have moved out since it was taken over by the new factors.”
Jenny says that the heating system has been an ongoing problem and residents had held a meeting to discuss it only two days before the boiler broke down.
Jenny has blood circulation problem Raynaud’s disease and it is important that she keeps warm, but she also has high blood pressure, vertigo and is prone to dizzy spells.
She doesn’t have any heating in her bathroom or hall so she says it is crucial her heating works in the living room/bedroom.
She told the Telegraph: “It all came to a head last Friday.
“All of a sudden at 5.10am there was a banging noise.
“The heating came on and went off again.
“Then at 5.15am on Saturday the same thing happened.
“I got up out of bed because
I was scared it was going to blow up.
“One of the residents has a key for the boiler room which is in the main building.
“He said there was no water in the boiler and that no-one could come out until Monday.”
The property company Ethical Maintenance took over as factors last year and following the boiler breakdown Jenny emailed the rental agents Cathie Scott Properties Ltd on Monday to report that they’d had no heating for three days.
Later that afternoon a heater was supplied to all residents.
Jenny said: “At around 4.45pm, a heater was left outside my flat and when I looked up the corridor there was one at every door.
“No-one knocked the door or spoke to us to apologise, which feels like a slap in the face.
“One woman told me she has been wearing a jumper, coat and a hat.
“Why should we be paying £400 to sit in a cold flat with an outdoor coat on?
“I think it’s terrible that we haven’t had heating for this long.
“I’ve been staying in my bed to keep warm.”
The Telegraph visited the building and the communal areas were cold and Jenny had two heaters on in her flat to try to keep it warm.
We contacted factors Ethical Management Ltd who said they couldn’t comment and that we would need to speak to the owners of the building.
The rental agents also declined to comment.
The Telegraph tried without success to contact owners London-based Torah Capital Ltd, who bought over the building from The Sailors Society.