Pensioners are left in cold for 10 days

John and Margaret Riley

CHRISTMAS has come early for an elderly Chadderton couple frozen out by the Government’s Warm Front campaign.

In plummeting below-zero temperatures, Margaret (68) and John Reilly (72) were left without heating and hot water for 10 days following a very cold reception from the Warm Front scheme, which is designed to help out needy pensioners with their heating systems.

A very miserable Margaret was on the verge of cancelling the family Christmas she had planned at her Block Lane home after they were left in the lurch by engineers who said their boiler couldn’t be fixed because they didn’t have the part.

But after a call from the Chronicle, Warm Front provider Carillion rang the distressed — and freezing — pensioners to apologise and told them it would be mended straight away.

Engineers didn’t show up again but received another call prompting action from the Chronicle — and finally arrived the following afternoon to remedy the problem in two hours.

“I’m gob-smacked, I can’t believe it,” said Margaret.

“We just got a call out of the blue saying they were very sorry and an engineer was out picking up the part and we’d have heating by the end of the day. I’ve spent hours on the phone trying to get through or being cut off.

“I’m over the moon but I’m still disgusted and outraged at the way we’ve been treated. How many more elderly people have been left in the lurch like us?”

In a bid to fight off the freezing temperatures Margaret was forced to call Age UK Oldham for help, which lent them some oil heaters. And the couple had to constantly boil the kettle for hot water.

Margaret said she fears she’ll be counting the cost of the Warm Front fiasco for weeks to come.

“We really were desperate, we didn’t know where to turn or what to do next,” said Margaret. “It had been 11 days.”

“John was literally shaking from head to foot one day because he was so stressed and upset with it all.

“I’m utterly disgusted with the way we’ve been treated, we were just banging our head against a brick wall. I dread to think how much my phone bill and electric bill will be.

“It’s a good job Age UK helped us out, otherwise I don’t know what we would have done, frozen to death probably. They’ve been brilliant.”

A Warm Front spokesman said: “We set very high standards of customer service and overwhelmingly we get this right.

“We are grateful to you for bringing this matter to our attention and will of course be writing to Mr and Mrs Reilly to apologise for the inconvenience caused on this occasion.”