Faulty heating in Helgate Court driving Norwich retirees mad

Neighbours in Helgate Court, a retirement complex in Westwick Street, complained they were either freezing or boiling due to the issues.

However, after housing association Orbit sent out an engineer in January to fix the issue, several tenants are now complaining the heating is always on.

Helgate Court, in Westwick Street (Image: Newsquest)

Orbit said it is aware of a "number of residents struggling" with the issue.

Pauline Taylor, one of the people living in Helgate Court, has been dealing with the constant heat and increased bills.

The 83-year-old said: "There was an engineer who came round in January and set the temperature to 24C but now it's on all the time even though I haven't touched it since.

Pauline Taylor, 83, has been trying to get the heating system issues resolved (Image: Newsquest)

"I woke up at 3am the other week and could hear the fans pumping the heat through the flat even though my machine says it's off.

"I've been in tears trying to get this sorted with Orbit but they don't take any notice - it's ridiculous.

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"There are 31 flats in this building and at least half are suffering from the same problem."

Housing association, Orbit, said it's aware of a number of residents struggling with the system (Image: Newsquest)

Pauline added that her bills have increased because of the issue, saying: "I paid about £253 last month but before that, it was only £73 - I can't afford to do this.

"I don't know why someone just can't come out and fix the problem properly."

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An Orbit spokeswoman said: "The heating is functioning across the entire building, but we're aware that a small number of residents are struggling with their heaters.

Pauline Taylor, 83, right, and other residents, who are having problems with their heating. From left, Margaret Killett, 91; Linda Chilver, 89; Rose freeman, 76; and Julian Phillips, 77 (Image: Newsquest)

"We're also producing an information guide for anyone who wants to understand more about how their storage heaters work and an open offer to all residents to have an engineer carry out an assessment and provide any support.

"Storage heaters are designed to make the most of lower cost night-tariff electricity however, if the settings are altered they may not run as efficiently, or at the expected time or temperature."

Tenants are complaining that the heating is now constantly on, at 24C, instead of automatically adjusting (Image: Newsquest)

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