"Absolutely disgusting" - Chesterfield grandmother 'left without heating' for months

Shirley Ashton, 83, has lived in a semi-detached house in Staveley for more than five decades but has had no conventional means of heating her house since her coal fire broke in January.

Chesterfield Borough Council, which owns the property where she is a tenant, said it was sorry about the delays but that repair work had proved ‘more complex than originally thought’.

Catherine Richardson, Shirley’s granddaughter, said they had ‘hit a brick wall’ with contractors over replacing the coal fire and that she can only afford to run a small electric heater for an hour each day.

She said: “She’s always had a coal fire - and that’s all she’s got. We keep speaking to contractors who say they’ll replace it but we’ve hit a brick wall. We’ve had to get her an electric heater just so she can keep warm.”

Lynda, Shirley’s daughter, added: “It’s absolutely disgusting that she’s got to live like this. She’s 83 years old. Everyone seems to say it’s shocking but no-one seems to actually be doing anything about it.

“She’s not even using (the electric heater) everyday. She can’t afford to run it - she probably only has it on for an hour each day and when it gets too cold she is having to go to bed to keep warm like that.”

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council apologised for the delay and said: “On visiting the property, we found the initial repair request was more complex than originally thought and as a result this has unfortunately caused some delays to works being completed. We are however working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and are looking at the most appropriate replacement for the coal fire.

“We visited the property again earlier this week with the tenant’s housing officer to ensure that sufficient heating and hot water was available at the property. The tenant was running her own electric fan heater and additional fan heaters have also been left at the property. Hot water was also available and the tenant also had an electric shower.

“The Housing officer is arranging to re-visit the tenant to see if any additional support can be provided.”