Byker residents insulted by £10 compensation after living with no hot water and heating for days
A Byker man who faced days of "freezing" temperatures due to heating issues on the Byker Estate is "still waiting for adequate compensation".In early December, a major disruption to the district heating system led to the loss of heating and hot water to over 1,300 homes on the Byker Estate.
Temporary boilers were installed and according to Newcastle City Council, all homes had their heating restored on December 23.However, up until January 10 some residents were still experiencing distressingly low temperatures.Mick Thompson, who lives on Dalton Crescent explained how he had trouble with his heating sporadically throughout December and that during the first week of January he had "no heating at all".The 59-year-old said that although his heating has now returned, he is yet to receive full compensation for the period he had to use an electric heater to warm his property.And he is concerned about the impact the biting cold has had on his wife, who has rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, heart problems and fibromyalgia.
Mick said the compensation offered does not reflect the hardship faced by residents: "Although my heating was faulty for at least nine days, I've been told I'm only eligible for three days' compensation. The other days were noted down as 'general problems' not associated with the district heating system."However, I know of several residents who experienced issues for more than three days."Mick said he was promised £30 by the Byker Trust to help cover the cost of using the fan heater for three days, but when he tried to redeem the money at his local supermarket, he was informed he had only been given £10.He explained: "I got back in touch with the Trust to ask for a further £20, which I needed because there's a lot of financial pressure at the moment, but I haven't had a reply for more than a week."He added: "It's not even about the money really, although it is a meagre amount, I just feel very disappointed. The Trust doesn't seem to have taken into consideration the stress the situation caused us."£30 is the very least they can do given the inconvenience caused - my family were left stranded in the cold. I'm supposed to be a carer for my wife and my disabled grandson, but I was struggling to function."I would really appreciate if the Trust improved their communication to residents."
Michelle Bell, assistant director at Byker Community Trust, said :
“In December, Newcastle City Council, who provide the heating and hot water to homes on the Byker estate, experienced four leaks on the district heating network affecting over 1,300 homes. The Council restored heating and hot water to all homes affected by 23 December 2021.“Our team has attempted to contact all 1,300 customers affected and compensation in the way of vouchers or credits to their rent accounts have now been processed and everyone who was entitled to compensation, should have received this. In addition, heat charges have been credited to their rent account for the time they were without a heating and hot water supply.“If there are any customers who may have missed our calls or have received a letter from us regarding their compensation, and would like to discuss this, I would encourage them to contact us on our freephone number 0800 533 5442.“Due to the scale and complexity of each compensation payment, we cannot disclose individual details, but we are liaising directly with Mr Thompson regarding his compensation vouchers.”