Resident forced to use hot water from a kettle to wash for over a month

Edinburgh Council has offered an apology to a pensioner who's had to resort to boiling kettles for washing, due to his flat's busted immersion heater, leaving him without hot water for over a month.

Alastair Masterton, 74, a retired civil servant, says he notified Edinburgh Council about the heater malfunction on August 29, which cut his ability to shower or do dishes in his West Pilton high-rise home. The long-standing resident, over 20 years in the same flat, recounts multiple repair attempts by different contractors and even being informed his kitchen wall may need dismantling.

Living solo, the chore of kettle-boiling for personal hygiene and cleaning is not only inconvenient but also costly, especially for a pensioner like Alastair. He was staring down an icy Christmas after being scheduled yet another inspection at October's end, but council officers are now set to fix it come Friday morning, October 4.

An exasperated Alastair shared with EdinburghLive: "I reported the breakdown of my immersion heater to the council on August 29 and am still without hot water. My shower is connected to the immersion heater and therefore I am unable to keep properly clean unless I endure cold showers.

"I am endlessly boiling kettles at great expense which, as a pensioner, I can ill afford. I have had numerous visits from electricians and plumbers only to be told the unit can not be fixed in situ and has to be replaced. Their verdict is part of my kitchen wall will have to be removed to get the immersion heater out of a kitchen cupboard.

"When they gave me the original appointment on October 24 I rang them back and said surely this has to be an error and they said 'no we're short of inspectors'. Who is worse off than I am? I'm 74-year-old and got no hot water. I had the dentist yesterday and I've got the doctors tomorrow and going out smelling like a dirty old cow. It's not good enough."

Alastair revealed that he often has to fill the sink with kettle-boiled water to wash his hair, then rinse it off with cold shower water before washing himself with a flannel. Having resided in Northview Court for 22 years, Alastair questioned why his issue wasn't prioritised.

He added: "If the worst came to the worst I have a neighbour I'm sure would let me use his shower but why should I have to do that? I'm having to make a cup of tea and think 'do I need the hot water for something else' before letting it go cold. Thankfully I can keep warm as I have a heater in each bedroom and a decent fire so that's not a problem but they're expensive to run and my bills will already by sky-high. "

Jane Meagher, the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, expressed her sympathy: "I'm so sorry to hear about the issues Mr Masterton has been experiencing and I appreciate how difficult this must be. Officers have been in touch and have arranged to carry out the repair on Friday morning. ".