A GROUP of elderly and vulnerable people have been left without hot water and heating for more than three months.

The residents at the sheltered housing unit, aged up to 89, say they have been left feeling old, cold and abandoned.

They have been forced to boil kettles to fill up baths and for washing up and are reduced to huddling around electric fires wrapped in blankets to keep warm.

Marchesi House, in Southill, Weymouth, is home to 26 residents all of whom say they fear for their health as the weather gets colder.

All residents have to be classed as either elderly or vulnerable to get a place in the sheltered accommodation, which is monitored by a warden.

Since August 6, they have been battling with Knightstone, the company that runs the house, to get warm running water after a series of boiler and heating breakdowns.

A maintenance company has been out to the property 22 times in the last 14 weeks to try and fix the problem and each time the water has run for a couple of days before going off again.

Only three rooms contain electric showers and residents have been sharing these. Over one three-week period the residents had no hot water at all despite being told it would be fixed within days.

Christopher Percival, 65, said: “The reason we are speaking up is because we are fed up and at the end of our tether. It’s just shameful.”

Shirley Read, 71, and Rene Hinves said that they were worried about the effect that the cold could have on elderly residents’ health as winter draws in and they have no way to warm up.

Resident Dave Mowlam, 62, said: “When the water works it’s lukewarm at best, and when it doesn’t work we are forced to boil kettles to do the washing up or to have a bath. It’s awful.”

At a meeting of 16 residents they described their treatment as shameful and said no one should have to live without hot water and heating in the 21st century.

Brian Whitehead, 68, said: “When I have a bath I have to use two kettles of hot water. Normally, the water isn’t even hot enough to do the washing up and it’s not hot enough to sit and have a bath in.”

Leonard Bulpit, 71, said: “I think it’s absolutely disgusting, really disgusting.

“We pay for all of it but we are not getting the service.”

Residents also pay £11.50 a week in service charges to maintain the building.

This amounts to £161 since the trouble began.

On November 5, residents received a letter from Knightstone offering them £25 off their electricity bill and £150 in compensation, an offer residents described as an attempt to try and keep them quiet.

They said they want the water system to be fixed once and for all and to be properly compensated for the inconvenience.

Knightstone 'sorry for inconvenience'

Knightstone said that residents would not incur any costs for water and heating over the 14-week period.

They promised £25 off the cost of the electric bill, a refund on some of the service charges and £150 compensation.

Knightstone’s assistant director of maintenance, David Greenhalgh, said: “We’re really sorry that residents have had intermittent hot water and heating since August.

“For the last 14 weeks, we’ve actively worked with our contractor and engineers have been troubleshooting most days. We’ve been in regular contact with residents throughout.”

He added: “It’s a complicated system and we’ve spent a considerable amount of money on repairs.

“We’re hopeful that the part being fitted on Thursday, November 11, will resolve the issues and residents will have constant hot water and heating.

“We’re committed to making sure the system is fully operational before the winter months set in. We’d like to take this opportunity to apologise once again for the inconvenience caused to residents.”