Cancer sufferer has gas cut off

Annie Hanna, who will be 78 in January, has lived in a flat in Lime Grove for the past 10 years.

She was without heat in her home for all of Friday evening when the Housing Executive clamped her gas supply instead of her neighbour’s, as they had intended.

The Housing Executive say as a landlord they have a legal obligation to carry out the annual gas safety check and failure to allow this service will result in a disconnection of the service.

A spokesperson said: “Last week our contractors were in the Lurgan area and despite a number of attempts did not gain admittance to a flat in Lime Grove to service the gas boiler.

“In these circumstances the supply of gas to the flat had to be capped.

“Unfortunately our contractor mistakenly capped the meter serving a neighbouring flat.”

Annie’s granddaughter Julie Livingstone said: “She had no gas from 5.30pm on Friday evening until twenty past 12 that night.

“I argued until I was blue in the face but they said there was nothing they could do about it until Monday. I kept trying to explain that they’d got the wrong house but they wouldn’t listen.

“I annoyed them all night long until eventually we got the gas back on. It shouldn’t have been this difficult. It was their mistake in the first place.”

She added: “My granny lost her daughter last year and she has been very sick.

“She has cancer and is on palliative care. This was the last thing she needed.”