A COUPLE with four children have been offered compensation by housing bosses after being left without central heating for four days.

Craig and Tracey Whiteley said they repeatedly asked for a faulty boiler at their rented home in Southfield Square, Nelson, to be repaired, but were left with just an electric fan heater to keep them warm while a spare part was found and installed.

One of their children, Megan, five, came down with croup while the heating was off. "Staff at Burnley General Hospital said one of the causes was cold," said Tracey, who claimed the illness was brought on by the lack of heating.

When the couple, together with their children Natasha, 10, Sheona-Leigh, seven, Megan, and seven-month-old Amber, moved into the house the boiler had been taken out to deter thieves. An engineer put the boiler back in, but told the couple there was a fault with the pilot light.

"He said someone would be back to fix it, but no-one turned up," said Tracey. An hour after the engineer left they say the pilot light went out and, despite several telephone calls for help, it was three days before the heating was fully working again.

The couple still had hot water from an immersion heater and they said their complaint was not with Bradford and Northern Housing Association, which owns their home, but with the heating firm it used.

"We were told we were a priority one case but it took them all this time to sort it out," added Tracey."

Bradford and Northern's regional manager Simon Parker, said: "The association's commitment to residents is to repair faults of this kind within 24 hours and, in view of the slow service, we have offered compensation of £50 to the family with an apology. We shall be taking the matter up with our contractor."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.