ELDERLY residents living in sheltered accommodation have been without hot water and heating for up to four weeks.

Swindon Borough Council has said the problem at George Tweed Gardens sheltered housing complex should be fixed by today.

But Jenna Constantine – whose husband’s grandparents live in one of the apartments – said it was unacceptable that elderly members of the community were facing some of the coldest days of the year without hot water or heating.

She said: “My husband’s grandmother – Winifred Henry – has had cancer twice and got through it, but there are others living there who are not in such good health.

“It happened last winter too for a couple of weeks, so it is obviously happening when people are starting to use their heating, and I think that needs to change.”

Mrs Henry, 71, lives in one of the Garden’s 53 flats with her husband Gerry, 78.

She said that today would mark two weeks since they lost their hot water and heating, and had been having to use the kettle to boil water.

“It has affected quite a few residents in the building, one of our neighbours hasn’t had any heating for four weeks,” she said.

“This is the worst time that it has ever been.

“Another neighbours’ has already been fixed, but they are waiting for a part to fix ours.

“Fortunately we bought our own two small electric heaters, and the complex have small electric heaters if you want to borrow them.

“We’re not without heating if we use them, but it is a damn nuisance.

“If we don’t pay our rent for a week they are calling us on the phone to make sure it is paid within seven days, but who is going to foot the bill for all of the electricity the heaters and the kettle are using?

“We have survived for two weeks, and we keep our fingers crossed that they will come out and fix it on Wednesday.”

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: “Boilers in six of the flats became faulty and have needed repairs, which can happen at this time of year when they are called on to work harder as the weather gets colder.

“The faults were fixed on five of them as soon as possible after they were reported to us, but one flat has been provided with temporary heating while we wait for delivery of a spare part. We are hoping to do that repair on Wednesday.

“As part of the work we had to shut the gas off to the building for an hour, but this was done in consultation with the site manager and residents were informed beforehand.”