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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Connor Lynch

West Belfast mum left with 'small electric heater for months' waiting on heating repairs

A West Belfast mum has spoken of her despair after being left with only a small electric heater to heat her home for months.

Shania McArdle said over the past two months she has been put under financial pressure due to the money she has had to spend on electricity as it was the only way to make sure her house was warm enough for her children.

Speaking to Belfast Live, she said she has had problems with the heating in her Clanmill Housing Association home for around two years, with it stopping completely two months ago.

Read more: Belfast mum's distress as children's beds 'destroyed' due to ongoing leak

She says during that time she has tried repeatedly to have repairs made to the heating but none were ever carried out and she was given a small electric heater until they were.

Shania said: "I have had issues with the heating in the house for the past two years but nothing like what I have had to deal with over the last two months when I have not been able to heat my house at all.

"I have been asking for repairs to be made urgently as I was worried about the health of my children living in a house that was so cold all of the time.

"I was given a tiny blow heater to keep warm while I was waiting on the repairs, but this has only put me under even more pressure because it has cost me so much on electricity because it uses so much of it. But I have had no choice because it is the only thing I could use to try and keep my kids warm.

"I have been worrying about the health of my children living in such a cold house and despite how expensive it is, the small heater really wasn't much use. I had been told numerous times that someone would be coming round to fix it only for nobody to ever show and it is not right that our young family has been left like this."

A Clanmil Housing spokesperson said: "We have completed a number of repairs to the heating system in the tenant’s home since May 2021.

"While the heating has not been operating as it should have been for a number of weeks, there has been heating in most rooms. During this period our contractor has supplied an electric heater to the tenant.

"It has taken some time to establish the problem and our contractor had arranged to visit the home on a number of occasions but hasn’t been able to get access.

"Our contractor has now established a leak in the system and had arranged to repair this today (Tuesday). They are currently at the tenant’s home and have assured us that the heating system will be fully functioning today.

"We are committed to maintaining homes that are safe and comfortable for people to live in and apologise for the delay on this occasion. We will be following up with our tenant to check that she is satisfied that her heating is now working correctly."

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