Elderly man left out in the cold

The daughter of an 81-year-old Seymour Hill man has blamed the Housing Executive for leaving her father quite literally out in the cold, for almost a fortnight.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Jan 2015, 11:58 BST
William Moore wrapped up at home.William Moore wrapped up at home.
William Moore wrapped up at home.

William Moore, a 1980s British Champion Pool Player, has been forced to wrap up in blankets and use electric heaters for the last eight days after the heating system at his Hornbeam Road home stopped working.

He was told by Housing Executive engineers his boiler would have to be replaced and it would be Monday before that could happen.

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As well as winning the pool championship title in Manchester, Mr Moore was a keen boxer who fought many tournaments at the Ulster Hall. Now, though, William suffers from a range of conditions including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder and heart failure as well as dementia.

The Housing Executive was first contacted last Tuesday; three engineers called to William’s home where one reportedly said the gas heating would be too dangerous to use.

“My daddy has had to spend £50 on electric in a week where he would normally be using just £5,” said his daughter Irene Downey. “He has been forced to buy two halogen heaters both costing £25 each just to get some heat into the house as he cannot use blow heaters because of his health.

“The Housing Executive has literally just left him without any heating for days then told us that it would be a further five days before his boiler can be replaced. I think the way that he has been treated has been awful.”

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A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said they had received two repair requests relating to the gas heating.

“On both occasions gas engineers from the Housing Executive’s maintenance contractor, Carillion, called to his Hornbeam Road home on the same day,” she said. “When they left the gas boiler was working. 

“However, there was a third repair report received on January 6 and when the engineer called that day he found the heat-exchanger on the gas-boiler had burst ,causing damage which now necessitates the boiler’s replacement.

“We have instructed our heating contractor to fit a new boiler and are trying to get this carried out as a matter of urgency in the next couple of days. We have also offered our tenant temporary heaters.”