A family of three left without heating or hot water for nearly two weeks has slammed her landlord after they had to exist on pot noodles and wear coats around the clock.
Donna Marsh, 35, had just done a £265 shop when her gas was switched off because of a leak.
Assured she was in the priorities list, she became concerned when several days went by without her home being reconnected.
As she was unable to cook anything more substantial than a Pot Noodle, she sent her two children, aged six and nine, to stay with her mum.
Donna told StokeonTrent Live : “ had a gas safety inspection and they said ’m lucky I didn’t blow up my house because I smoke there and my fridge/freezer is in there where the leak was and it’s got that spark.
“They told me that because I am on a priority list for gas and electricity, I was on a 24 hour callout but that went by and nobody came.
“I’ve got mental health issues myself and I am trying to do a self-confidence boosting course to get myself on track. The house I am living in is horrendous and I can’t meet mine and my children’s needs. We had no hot water or heating. It was cold and as a result I got a chest infection.
“I’ve got arthritis so if I don’t have heat then my joints will inflame and I can’t move which means the housework hasn’t been done. It’s got me down and depressed.
“There is a hole in the roof, a leak under the bath and my toilet, a leak under the sink in the kitchen, the cooker wasn’t plumbed in properly, and there are no doors downstairs; it’s horrendous.”
Donna has had to seek help from her friends and used their homes to bathe herself during the difficult period. She now wants assurances that the remaining works - booked in for May - will be carried out on time.
She added: “I’ve got housing disrepair claims going on from two years ago.
“The previous tenant sawed half a chimney away to try to fit a bed upstairs in the loft so the whole cavity is exposed. When it rains it all comes into the loft so it's saturated with water.
“It’s warmer outside than it is in the house.”
Your Housing Group has apologised to Donna.
A spokesman said: "The gas installation was isolated after the annual gas service on April 1.
“At this point, Miss Marsh was offered temporary heating, which she declined.
"Unfortunately, due to an error by the engineer, a follow-on job was not raised as it should have been, which led to the delay. We have offered Miss Marsh our sincere apologies and financial compensation for the delay and inconvenience.
"We have checked on the status of the repairs scheduled for May, and can confirm that they will go ahead as planned."
