A SINGLE mum with two small children says she has been left with no heating or hot water for more than three weeks after the heating system in her housing association home broke down.

Julia Potter, who lives in Slessor Road, Acomb, says she and her two young children have had to camp out in the living room to keep warm after the heating and hot water system broke down on Friday, February 7.

She said that three weeks after the fault first emerged Julia and her children, Reece, four, and Lily, seven, were still struggling in a cold house, and relying on the generosity of friends for showers and baths.

The children even had to stay away from school said Julia, 40, as she struggled to get them up, bathed, and ready for school in a freezing cold house.

Although landlords Home Housing have given Julia two electric heaters to help keep the house warm, she is angry it has taken more than three weeks to restore central heating and hot water to the three bedroom house. But the company claims she has not kept an appointment and has not answered their calls.

Julia said: “I went back home on Saturday, but before that a friend took us in because the house was just too cold.

“I have an ear infection and we are all full of cold, coughing and spluttering.

“It’s the hot water I can’t cope without because I can’t get the children washed.”

Housing association workers came out soon after the heating broke down, and found they needed to order a new part for the system.

Rosemary Du Rose, the company’s executive director of customer service, said: “We attended Mrs Potter’s home on Saturday to repair her boiler but when our two contractors arrived she wasn’t there despite us giving her a firm appointment time.

“We’ve repeatedly called her to re-arrange an appointment but we find Mrs Potter, who has an ongoing tenancy issue, often doesn’t answer or return our calls.”

The company now has another date set for the repairs, she said, and they hope Mrs Potter will keep the appointment to allow contractors to fix the heating.