Whittington Estate elderly resident had no heating at Christmas

Asila, who lives on the Whittington Estate, said that her heating and hot water are still not working after they turned off on December 23. Heating was briefly restored on December 28, before failing again.

This left Asila, who has arthritis, is partially-sighted and requires regular kidney dialysis, without central heating and hot water on Christmas Day.

Asila is a leaseholder on Sandstone Place on the Whittington Estate, also known as Highgate New Town, where boiler maintenance is the responsibility of Camden Council.

She said: “There is no heating, and no hot water and I’m struggling.

“My flat is a very difficult flat because I’m at the end of the terrace, and on top of the building, so there is only one flat next to me to help heat my home - my flat is freezing cold.”

Asila has had to use electric heaters to try and keep warm, but is worried about the associated electricity costs.

She said she has struggled with her heating and hot water since Camden Council installed a new central boiler, with associated Heat Interface Units (HIUs) to transfer heat to individual homes, in 2016-17.

Asila’s flat is unique on the estate as her HIU is located in a garage, and not in her home, which has to be unlocked with a caretaker's key.

Patrick Hagopian, secretary of Highgate New Town Leaseholders Association, said: “We are prisoners in our own residences.

“We’ve been extremely patient up until now because we’ve been giving Camden a chance to try to resolve the issue. But we’ve reached a point now where we can’t be patient anymore.”

He added that other residents have also regularly reported issues with their heating and hot water to Camden Council.

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that Asila has experienced these issues.

“We have sent a repairs team to the estate who are working to get her heating and hot water working again as soon as possible.  In the meantime, we are also providing her with temporary heaters.”