Fred and Mary’s frozen fortnight

BLANKETS and coats to keep themselves warm, Mary and Fred Linsdell in their flat

AN ELDERLY couple endured a freezing two-week wait for their heating to be repaired.
Fred Linsdell (87) and wife Mary (84), from Failsworth, had to go to bed at 6pm because their flat was so cold.

The couple, who have lived in the sheltered flat, run by the Regenda First group, in Moorlea, Evening Street for the past 18 years, received four visits from repairmen who cited a range of problems with wiring and radiators.

Complaint

Their son, Peter, (54), of Clifton Street, Failsworth, said he had called and complained to Regenda more than 20 times about the heating, and even submitted a formal letter of complaint.

He said: “If an elderly couple has heating problems in the coldest month of the year, it should be sorted immediately.

“My parents have had to go to bed at 6pm because of the cold and they have no other means of heating.

“It’s distressing for me and for them because my dad suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and my mum is waiting to go into hospital next week for a knee replacement. My dad is also asthmatic, so a cold flat is the worst place to be.

“I wish I could get them to move into my house for a while, but they are both independent and single-minded having lived through the war.”

Fred Linsdell, who is 88 on February 2, said: “Regenda has been fobbing us off, saying we have to wait a few more days for parts and work to be carried out. We’ve lived here for a while and this is the first problem we’ve had.”

Workmen visited the property for the fifth time on Friday and managed to get the heating working.

A Regenda spokesman said: “We have worked alongside Mr and Mrs Linsdell to resolve and repair this storage heater with our Response to Repair service attending their home on several occasions throughout this period.

“Due to the intermittent problems experienced with the storage heater the initial diagnosis of the problem was difficult to ascertain.

“However, this was rectified as soon as possible and we have installed a brand new storage heater.”