Family left freezing for three weeks (From Witney Gazette)

Family left freezing for three weeks

9:00am Wednesday 8th November 2006 in Witney

A FAMILY with young children have been suffering in the cold for more than three weeks.

Jessica and Thomas Holden-Taylor say they have not been able to adequately heat their Vale Housing Association house in Towns End, Hailey, since their boiler broke down on Monday, October 16.

Staff at the housing association say the boiler could not be fixed immediately because they were waiting for a spare part. They also said they had not been able to access the boiler to service it earlier this year - but the couple deny they were ever contacted about a service.

The family were given two electric heaters until their boiler was repaired, but they say the heaters are not good enough and too expensive to heat their two-bedroom house.

Their five-month-old daughter Neve has been ill with a respiratory infection since the boiler broke.

The couple also have a seven-year-old daughter, Sasha.

Mrs Holden-Taylor, 23, said: "Neve is so cold in the night we put three blankets on her but still her head's cold. Last night, we got her up and put her in our bed to warm her up.

"She has a respiratory tract infection, in her throat, ears and eyes, and she can't get better when the house is this cold. We have to take her to my mum's house to wash her, as it's too cold to get her wet in our house.

"Also, we can't dry clothes in the house so we have to take our washing to my mum's.

"The small heaters cost £20 a week to warm the house up. We just can't afford to keep spending that. We just want the boiler fixed. We haven't been told when it will be done. The staff of Vale have been rude and unhelpful. We pay our rent, and we should be able to live in decent accommodation."

Mr Holden-Taylor, 30, said: "Our house is an ice box. It's freezing, damp and mouldy. It's really getting both of us down and putting pressure on us.

"Dogs don't live like this. The loft isn't properly insulated and the walls are not sealed and we are at the end of a row and get the brunt of the weather."

The boiler has broken down numerous times before, and last Christmas the family were left without heating.

Emily Bowsher, of The Vale Housing Association, said a complaint from Mr and Mrs Holden-Taylor about how they had handled their heating problem had been received and was being investigated.

She said staff had also been trying to phone the couple last week but could not get through.

"We sympathise with the problem that the Holden-Taylors are having with their heating," she said. "We went out to the property the same day the Holden-Taylors reported the problem. A new part for the boiler was ordered but, unfortunately, the supplier initially provided us with a faulty part, causing a delay before the family can have full heating again.

"Staff at the Association had previously written to the family with an appointment date to service the boiler. They did not reply to this letter. Unfortunately, this meant that Vale Housing Association engineers were not given the opportunity to identify any problems."

Mrs Holden-Taylor said she had never received a letter informing her of the service date.