Severely disabled man left with no gas or hot water for four days handed £30 JustEat voucher

Alan Douglas, from Meadow Drive, Garstang, had his gas supply disconnected meaning he was forced to wash with cold water and unable to cook any hot meals.

The gas supply at his Jigsaw Housing homes was switched off by energy firm Cadent over concerns about the safety of the property’s boiler.

Four days later, his gas supply had not been reinstalled and when he complained to Jigsaw and Cadent, he was given the delivery voucher to tide him and his wife over until the fault could be repaired.

Alan, who is mainly housebound due to arthritis in his spine and hips,, said: "We had our annual gas service check on Monday when the Co2 emissions went off. We have had no heating and no water to cook since.

“I contacted the relevant people numerous times but they were playing piggy in the middle.

“I was also given a £30 JustEat voucher by the Cadent employee on Monday.

Alan's wife Janine who suffers from fibromyalgia said she had to wash her husband using cold water.

"I have had to do the same and wash my hair with cold water. We have had no heating or hot water since Monday.

"I have a gas hob which I do most of my cooking on so haven't been able to do a proper meal.

"I have been passed from pillar to post to to get my gas service back on and having no joy.

"We are not happy with the way we have being treated and find all this very unacceptable."

The fault was finally fixed on Thursday afternoon.

He added: "We moved into the house July last year and have had many problems with it.

"At 13.25pm yesterday the gas was put back on, but with no real understanding of what the problem was or what caused it."

Gary Heaton, operations director at Jigsaw Group, said: “We are sorry that Mr Douglas has had problems with the heating at his home. Residents’ safety is our top priority.

"At an annual gas safety check on 6 April, our engineer identified a fault with the boiler that made it potentially unsafe.

"To ensure the safety of Mr Douglas and his family, and to fulfil our legal obligations as the landlord, the engineer shut down the boiler by capping the gas supply to the property.

"We are looking into why there was a delay in making the boiler operational again. Meanwhile, one of our engineers has visited Mr Douglas’s home again and ensured that the boiler is operating safely.”

A Cadent spokesman added: “A Cadent engineer attended the property on Monday evening to reports of a gas emergency due to a Carbon Monoxide alarm.

"The engineer conducted safety checks, and advised the occupant he needed to contact the Housing Association that looked after the property as soon as possible, as it is now their responsibility to make the property safe and reconnect the supply.

“As standard procedure to keep the occupant safe, the engineer disconnected the supply and left temporary facilities.”