A vulnerable pensioner fears he will freeze to death inside his sheltered accommodation home this winter – because the housing authority have left him without heating for almost a year.
Former Royal Signals mechanic Reginald Moorby is refusing to pay his rent until the council fixes his broken heating system – which they have known about since October 2018.
Despite repeated reports to housing provider East Kent Housing, Folkestone and Hythe District Council several times, nothing has been fixed at Reginald’s flat in Lydd, and he feels he is getting frail.
The former Royal Signals radio mechanic said: “As of August 12 I’ve paid no rent and I refuse to pay until I get some heating.
“This is making me ill.
“My nerves are shattered to be honest. And I’m feeling desperate.”
More than 3,000 people “needlessly” die each year in the UK because they cannot afford to properly heat their homes, according to National Energy Action, and the majority of deaths are infants and people aged 85 and over.
He said: “I’ve had heating problems since last October. That’s nearly a year.
“During the winter months it was freezing in here.
“Only about two inches of the radiator gets warm – and it’s just lukewarm, not hot.
“I’d go to bed with underclothes and a dressing gown.
“In the day I’d wear my coat. I’ve reported it umpteen times.
“People have visited but nothing’s been done.
“My neighbours also have problems.”
The housing association has apologies for the multiple issues facing vulnerable residents, have have vowed to fix their heating.
An East Kent Housing spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to residents at Mittell Court for the issues with the heating system, which are affecting communal areas as well as individual flats.
“There have been multiple issues that have needed to be addressed, and due to the age of the system we have had to order specialist parts, which has contributed to the timescales in fixing the system.
“Our engineers hope to carry out this work in two weeks once the parts are received.”