A FAMILY from Cirencester feel they have been left out in the cold by their landlord after a boiler breakdown left them without heating for three weeks.

To make matters worse the family also had a week without hot water when their immersion heater also stopped working.

Chris and Lisa Marvell, who live with their 19-year-old daughter in Smith’s Field in the Chesterton area of Cirencester, have been offered £110 compensation by housing association Stonewater for the “stress” involved in living for three weeks without heating.

Lisa, 47, said: “I have written to Stonewater and said that it is not good enough. I want them to stand up and be counted. It is not about the money but is about how we feel we have been treated.”

The family’s boiler broke down following heavy rains on December 7 2018, due in part to a problem with the outside pipe. “Water was pouring out of the boiler in the kitchen and it was leaking badly,” Lisa explained.

She claims that she lodged a call with the Housing Association straight away. “A contractor arrived within a few days and said that it couldn’t be fixed.”

According to the family it then took Stonewater three weeks to send their engineering company to fix it and it it took just one and half hours to carry out the repairs. The outside pipe has now also been fixed. “I called them every day and they just fobbed me off. They just didn’t care,” she said.

She explained that the family were provided with two small heaters to heat the house. “Our house was pretty much unliveable. It was hell. We had a real cold snap during that time. We have a dog so had to stay in the house, but if we hadn’t then we would probably have moved into a hotel for a few days a week.”

The family alerted local councillor Ray Brassington to their plight.

He said: “Mrs Marvell asked for my help to try and resolve the outstanding issue of her boiler which had not been working for two weeks. I immediately contacted Stonewater requesting they deal with this matter immediately given the low temperatures currently being experienced. I am pleased to say the matter was resolved shortly after my intervention.”

Stonewater’s spokesperson Leon Storer, Assistant Director of Assets (West) told the Standard: “We notified our contractor to attend Mrs Marvell’s home after a fault with the boiler was reported to us on 7 November, and this was completed on 9 November.

“When another boiler fault was reported on 20 November, Stonewater were quick to order replacement parts which were delivered and installed on 28 November.

“Stonewater has compensated Mrs Marvell for the entire duration of this repair, and we’d like to thank her for her patience throughout this time.”