A disabled man says he was left in tears after suffering recurring problems with his boiler, meaning he had no heating or hot water for a bath or shower. Carers for Mark Knowles, 48, were forced to wash him with water they had boiled in a kettle as he faced intermittent hot water problems for four months.
Mark, who has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties, said the 12-year-old boiler first started breaking around four months ago, and while contractors came out a string of times to fix or replace parts, it would just break again after a few days. He lives in a property owned by Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) in Derby.
He said the cold has seen his feet turn purple, as he admitted he was so frustrated with the problem it has made him cry and "feel crazy", DerbyshireLive reports. Fortunately, since DerbyshireLive visited Mark's flat last week, a new boiler has finally been delivered and was installed on January 21.
But the four-month ordeal has left him and his family under huge amounts of stress. His mum Joan had to be with Mark for every visit from contractors - but as she doesn't have a driving licence, she had to fork out cash for bus fares.
Worried Joan said her son had "done a bit of crying recently because it's ever so cold". Mark was even left without heating when snow and ice blanketed the country last week.
MTVH did provide a temporary heater, but due to Mark's use of a wheelchair, he has to leave the doors to his rooms open at all times. It meant that the heat from one portable radiator was all but futile, as the heat couldn't be kept in and was not nearly enough to heat every room.
With no heating also came no hot water, meaning Mark couldn't have a shower. His carers, who visit him three times a day, were forced to boil the kettle and help him wash by hand.
Mark's story is very similar to that of Jane Longdon, who won a court case against MTVH in December after they failed to install a new boiler for her despite repeated breakdowns. The numerous visits from engineers in Mark's case have been followed by promises that he'll get a phone call back, but that never seemed to happen.
Mark's sister Mel said: "Over these months if they'd just put a new boiler in, with all these trips they've made coming and going, they'd probably have saved money. All the while Mark's been here freezing.
"It's just ridiculous. There seemed to be no communication between the contractors and Metropolitan. We were just really fed up with the whole situation. For me, emotionally, it's been draining. It's been a constant. I've been worrying about Mum because she's not in the best health."
Despite the new boiler delivery, Mark is still sleeping in his living room due to an unexplained and unrelated bedroom flood occurring earlier this year. The carpet is now a discoloured darker blue due to water and huge areas of damp have grown on the wall.
That problem is yet to be fixed. The water has stopped running now, but at one point streamed down all three walls. Contractors have visited the property to attempt to locate a source but have yet failed to find one.
Mark has lived at the property for around 13 years, and it's only recently that the problems have started. But it's shone a light on MTVH for Joan. She said: "If we can get him somewhere else we don't want Metropolitan."
A spokesperson for MTVH said: “Everyone rightly expects to live in a warm home. We fully sympathise with the resident and understand how difficult this period has been. Unfortunately, on this occasion the issue has taken longer to resolve than anticipated.
"We have visited on multiple occasions during this period to try to restore heating and hot water. Initially, we assessed that the boiler could be repaired with new parts. However, when new parts failed to resolve the issue, it became clear that a new boiler was required. This has now been installed and heating and hot water have been fully restored.
"We will always replace a boiler which cannot be repaired and as such since April, we have replaced over 500 boilers across the country. Throughout this period, we have provided a temporary heating solution in the home. We will of course support the resident on any further issues which need to be addressed.”
