"I've been abandoned": Pensioner, 75, left waiting TWO MONTHS for heating repairs could face freezing Christmas
21.12.2023 - 07:25
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A pensioner says she ‘feels like I have been left abandoned’ after a broken heating system means she is facing a freezing cold Christmas in Blackley.
Yvonne Johnson, 75, has called her flat on Liverton Court home for nine years — living in a block designed for over-60s. She says that her NIBE external ground source heating system has been broken for two months, and she now faces an anxious wait to see if she it will be fixed by Christmas.
Already, Yvonne, a retired telephonist who now leads a walking group in Heaton Park, has spent a small fortune on keeping one room of her apartment warm with a space heater. Manchester city council, which runs the block, has apologised to Yvonne for the issues.
READ MORE: Two teens found GUILTY of 'ferocious' Brianna Ghey murder in Warrington
READ MORE: Manchester New Year's Eve free fireworks event times and NEW location confirmed
The heating problems stem from the fact that the NIBE heating system needs a new part, which has to come from Sweden. As the Manchester Evening News has reported in the past, NIBE systems have been problematic in other parts of the city-region, such as Pendleton in Salford.
In her case, Yvonne is without hot water or central heating - but she can still take showers as normal, as that is on a separate system. After reporting the issue weeks ago, Yvonne has had several contractors visit her home, but none have been able to fix the system.
Now, she is hoping for a visit by an engineer on Friday (December 22) to remedy it — otherwise she will have a freezing cold Christmas, or shell out more on her energy bills.
“I borrowed a heater, so one room is warm, but I was not paying enough on my energy direct debit — so I had to make a one-off payment,” she told