Britain's kindest plumber helps disabled man left in debt with gas company with just pot noodles to eat
20.07.2022 - 15:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A man who has been hailed as Britain’s kindest plumber has helped a disabled man who was left without food and facing a debt with his gas company of nearly £1,500.
James Anderson, 52, from Burnley, has run his own plumbing business Depher, which stands for Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair, since 2017. As part of his job, he regularly visits the homes of people struggling to pay for food and gas.
Taking to social media, James said he was contacted by the friends of a disabled man in Manchester who had been left without food for three weeks - besides a packet of pot noodles.
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James said the man, 47, was in debt of £1,436 with his gas supplier British Gas. Posting on Twitter, James said he has helped the man order some food shopping.
He wrote: “Just been to an emergency request in Manchester. A disabled guy 47 has been without Food for 3 weeks, only a pack of 12 pot noodles. His Gas is in debt of £1,436.00 with British gas, he is on PiP as far as he knows. We will plan the debt tomorrow, shopping ordered from Tesco.”
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, James said he is now helping the man, who lives in Fallowfield, get back on track. “As soon as I walked in, you could tell he knew who I was and he just started crying,” he explained.
“The gas bill is horrendous and we keep seeing people in situations like that. Two weeks ago, we had to help out a couple who haven’t had a boiler for three years with a £500 bill from a gas company just for standing order charges.
“We’ll be paying the man’s gas bill today and setting him up on a standing order where he’ll pay £20 a month. We’ve ordered him