Elderly residents at Jazz Court, Eastfield, left without hot water for 10 days after boiler breaks down

Scores of elderly and vulnerable Scarborough residents were left without hot water for 10 days after their boiler broke.
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The hot water went off at retirement living complex Jazz Court in Eastfield on September 27, but despite an offer of free help from boiler firm Baxi, it was not fixed until the evening of October 7.

Chris Leech, whose ex-Army uncle and frail aunt were among those affected, said: “It’s beyond belief.”

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He said no temporary fixes were offered and residents were left having to boil kettles for a week-and-a-half.

Jazz Court, at EastfieldJazz Court, at Eastfield
Jazz Court, at Eastfield

He put out a call for help among business associates which was answered by Managing Director at Baxi Heating UK Karen Boswell.

She offered to send engineers in for free.

But Sanctuary Retirement Living, which runs Jazz Court, said they had to turn down the offer due to the specialist nature of the part needed to repair the boiler.

Mr Leech’s uncle, Dennis Leech, said there are 60 apartments in the complex in total.

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The 88-year-old, who met his 89-year-old wife Kath when they were teenagers, said: “It’s beyond ridiculous. We didn’t have any information about what was happening.

“A building of this size should have an emergency generator.

“There’s been no sense of urgency and virtually no empathy.”

Mr Leech served with the Army for 25 years and worked as an estate manager in London’s wealthy Knightsbridge, overseeing 176 apartments.

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A spokesperson for Sanctuary Housing said: “We are sorry for the time it took to restore the hot water and can confirm the required work was completed on Wednesday October 7.

“A specialist valve for the commercial boiler needed replacing and we had to wait for a new one to be made to fit by the manufacturer.

“As soon as the new valve was ready, it was delivered to the scheme and fitted immediately.

“While we were grateful to staff at Baxi for their offer of support, after discussing the situation with them, we were unable to accept their help due to the specialist nature of the valve.”

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According to Sanctuary Retirement Living’s website, Jazz Court is for people who are aged 55 or over, or who have long-term care needs.

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