Pensioner left without heating after boilermen fail to arrive
A PENSIONER was left without heating during the coldest weekend of the year so far after engineers pulled out of a scheduled repair.
Rosemary Chatterton, 77, lives in Coronation Square in Wokingham and has been plagued with problems since her boiler broke down on New Year’s Day.
As a council tenant, she was forced to arrange repairs via the council’s contracted company, Robert Heath.
Her daughter Liz Dulai said that her Mum, who has had a stroke and suffers from anxiety, stress and arthritis, had been without hot water since the beginning of the year. Robert Heath’s team had visited to try and fix the boiler, but said it needed a special part ordered in and two people to fit it.
As a result, Mrs Chatterton has been boiling the kettle to ensure she can wash in the mornings. The company also left her two small heaters to heat the twobedroom home, which she said is costing her £6 to £7 a day to run.
However, on Friday morning Robert Heath called to say that their engineer had been delayed and that instead of coming as promised, they would come in the afternoon, but in the afternoon they called again to say that the engineer couldn’t visit after all, leaving Mrs Chatterton in the cold.
“It’s ridiculous,” Ms Dulai said. “What a shambles this company is. They’ve known this boiler needed to be done, but they’ve only given two poxy little heaters.
“My Mum is getting upset by all this.” She said that because of the lack of heat or hot water, Mrs Chatterton would have to come and stay at her twobedroom home in Bracknell.
“I shouldn’t have to go over there to collect her,” she said. “I just feel so sorry for her. I’m completely disappointed.
“My house isn’t big enough, she’ll have to share with me. It’s only two bedrooms.
“And she has a cat, I’ve got a dog, so the cat has to stay behind and we’ll have to go back to feed it.”
She continued: “I’ve dealt with this company [Robert Heath] all week and I’ve had enough. They fob you off all the time.
“The only thing I can do is to go to the papers. It’s just not right.”
She added: “If this was my Mum’s neighbour, I’d do exactly the same for them. It feels like [the council] put people in these bungalows and just forget about them.”
Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for health and wellbeing, adult social care and housing, said: “We’re sorry Mrs Chatterton has experienced this delay, especially as its particularly cold at the moment.
“Following further inspection of her boiler it was a much bigger job than first anticipated and there was a wait for essential parts.
“During this time hot water has been available to Mrs Chatterton and we have provided her with fan heaters to ensure she has some warmth. Works have now been completed and the boiler is up and running.”