Family spend cold Xmas after boiler breakdown

Jan 8 2009 by Carla Callaghan, Hamilton Advertiser

Family spend cold Xmas after boiler breakdown

A BLANTYRE family have had a chilly start to the new year after being left without central heating and hot water since Boxing Day.

Angela McCreadie, her husband Billy and their 15-year-old daughter Chelsea have had to endure plunging temperatures for nearly two weeks after their gas boiler broke down at Christmas.

Despite attempts by South Lanarkshire Council to fix the problem, the McCreadie family have only had eight hours of heating since Boxing Day.

Temperatures in Lanarkshire during the Christmas period dipped to -7 degrees in some parts.

Mrs McCreadie, a social work student at Glasgow Caledonian University, is frustrated with the council’s response.

She said: “We have had no heating since December 26, and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere with the council.

“Yesterday, I was on the phone constantly and I have been told they are waiting on a part.

“I am really angry about being left in this situation, the house is absolutely freezing.”

She added: “I even had to put the oven on to heat up the kitchen, because it is so cold.”

Day-to-day life is a struggle for the family as they share two electric fan heaters and are sometimes forced to wash with cold water.

Mrs McCreadie said: “We have two heaters, which I had to ask for from the council.

“My daughter takes one of the heaters into her room at night and we have one in the living room, but as soon as you open a door the heat just escapes.

“It gets really cold, especially at night time and this is our 12th day without heating.”

A South Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said: “We are concerned if any tenant is left without heating, especially at this time of year.

“We are currently investigating the situation on the tenant’s behalf with a view to resolving this issue as soon as possible.”