14 October 2023 , 18:20
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Furious residents have been left with no gas in their homes for a YEAR after it was cut off over safety concerns.
The gas supply at the Woodlands Manor apartments in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was shut off by the management company in October last year. This resulted in them being forced to live in chilly conditions and some had to rely on local leisure centres to shower due to a lack of hot water.
They also had to spend additional money on to keep themselves warm and now as winter looms residents fear the same this year. The flats in the complex are either privately rented or owned, and residents have expressed frustration that they are not able to be guaranteed the very basics, Belfast Live reports.
According to them, the property's management company CSM NI, had provided residents with two small electric heaters, two ring electric hobs and installed an electric heater in order to heat water in their homes. However, they have said that these have proved to be particularly costly to them, with residents finding themselves paying between £60 to £90 a week on electricity.
Not only that, but the residents say the heaters they have provided are "only useful for keeping your legs warm" and cannot sufficiently heat their homes, which is leading to damp and mould issues. They claim they received little communication from the management company, and feel they have been "left in the dark" regarding the situation, which is yet to be resolved.
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One resident said: "I am genuinely terrified about the winter ahead because we only just about made it through the last one without proper heating in this building."
"It was like living in an igloo and I fear the same thing is going to happen to us again this year because nothing has been done at all to fix the gas supply.
"It is impossible to heat our apartments, as the electric heaters we have been provided cannot do that, so we are left with damp and condensation problems, and the heaters use so much electricity that I went through all of my savings just trying to keep us warm last year."
Another said: "The impact that this has had on people's mental health is shocking and everyone is very worried about how we are going to cope this winter without any proper heat in our homes."
A CSM NI spokesperson said: "The gas supply at these premises was isolated on the instruction of Health & Safety experts. We continue to work with the relevant contractors and authorities to get service restored safely as quickly as possible. Local public representatives and relevant statutory authorities are being kept fully abreast of all developments."