A HERO plumber has spent around £50,000 helping vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic.

James Anderson from Burnley is no stranger to supporting the community with his non-for-profit company Depher CIC (Disabled and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Response), where he fixes boilers and other plumbing tasks for free for those in need of financial aid.

The fifty-three-old rose to internet fame when a receipt went viral showing he fixed a boiler free of charge for a 91-year-old woman with acute leukaemia.

He pledged to continue helping elderly people in financial struggles during the winter months and has since launched a foodbank, settling bailiff bills for those unable to pay and providing PPE for local care homes and the NHS.

Mr Anderson told the PA news agency: “We gave out £16,000 worth of PPE and almost 7,000 food parcels during the first lockdown. We also did surprise birthday parties for children, 30 of them.

“We were paying bills for people who couldn’t afford to pay and we did about nine free boilers as well as sorting bathrooms for those hit by rogue traders.”

Despite being overwhelmed with support last year, the handyman, originally from Liverpool, said he is now feeling anxious about how Depher will get through the winter.

His second-hand shop, which he used to raise funds, was forced to close during the second lockdown.

He said: “It depends how bad the winter is and that’s a big question mark. If it’s a bad winter, we are going to use a lot of money.”

A GoFundMe page has raised more than £12,000 so far, but Mr Anderson said Depher needs around £10,000 more to survive until January.

He said: “I am just hoping, and praying and wishing we do get through.

“I’ll be honest, I am a little scared, going into a winter where we don’t know what we are going to get, with Covid on top of everything. It’s a nightmare to plan.

“Sometimes I wake up three or four times a night with anxiety because I don’t know what is going to happen.

“But I have got to carry on. It’s to save lives.”

A disabled teenager was among those in receipt of Depher’s support after they installed a specialist bath in her new supported living facility.

Julie Allen, 52, had been crowdfunding 18-year-old Rose’s bath when Mr Anderson spotted the fundraiser, donating the final £800. He then installed it for free.

Mrs Allen told PA: “When I saw the bill I was crying. I thought, ‘how amazing is this man?’

“He’s unbelievable. He deserves a knighthood.”

Mr Anderson’s GoFundMe page can be found here https://www.gofundme.com/f/depher-community-support-services