Ref. 74457-29A DISABLED pensioner was forced to spend a miserable New Year with no hot water or heating.

And her boiler has still not been repaired since it blew up eight days ago.

Doreen Morgan, 75, says that her one-bedroom home in Windrush Road, Greenmeadow, has had a catalogue of heating problems which last month culminated in a boiler failure leaving her in the cold throughout the festive season.

Mrs Morgan, who has lived in Swindon for 35 years, is disabled following a stroke and operations to remove part of a lung.

She said: "I didn't think anyone lived like this in this day and age.

"My hands have been turning blue on some days. It's been so cold that I have had to keep boiling the kettle, so heaven knows how large my next electricity bill is going to be."

Mrs Morgan is a tenant with Weston-Super-Mare-based housing association Knightstone.

Spokesman Adrian Oldman, said: "We are at the mercy of builders' merchants at this time of year when it comes to getting spare parts for boilers and it would be impractical for our engineers to carry spare parts as we have so many types of boilers in our homes.

"We are very sorry Mrs Morgan had to go through all this during the festive period

"And, once the boiler has been fixed, we will be offering compensation for any extra costs to her electricity bill."