A DISABLED couple were left without heating at their home for three days after repairs to a broken pipe caused water in their heating tank to drain away. It was a situation Walsoken couple Patrick Fuller and Ena Berry say could have been avoided. Ms Berry

A DISABLED couple were left without heating at their home for three days after repairs to a broken pipe caused water in their heating tank to drain away.

It was a situation Walsoken couple Patrick Fuller and Ena Berry say could have been avoided.

Ms Berry, registered disabled with back problems, said: "I am appalled that a company can leave two disabled pensioners without heating at one of the coldest times of the year and apparently have little or no conscience about the situation."

And Mr Fuller, who has problems with his hip, back and leg, said: "All they had to do was freeze the pipes and put a bung in them while they replaced the damaged pipe."

Ms Berry said a technician from Reactfast repaired the broken pipe, under the floor beneath a radiator in the couple's home in King's Way, but as soon as he completed the job he realised that only half the home's central heating was working.

"He tried to get the whole system working but was unable to do so," said Ms Berry. "He spoke to his boss and we were told a heating engineer would be with us between 8am and 9am the next morning."

The engineer did not arrive until 3.30pm and, after saying he could not fix the system, told the couple he could flush out the system at a cost in excess of £600.

"We don't get that sort of money on a pension," said Ms Berry.

The company then complained to British Gas, which sent a technician on Saturday morning to replace a pump which had been ruined.

Mr Fuller said: "It took him about half-an-hour but, while he was here, he bled the radiators to get rid of all the air that had been built-up in them."

Zamil Uddin, customer relations manager at Reactfast, said that an internal investigation would be carried out into the issues raised by Mr Fuller and Ms Berry.