Eastbourne family left in freezing cold for days

Simone Muzzall, her partner Shane Jackson and three young children – a four week old baby, two-year-old and 10-year-old – struggled to cope in the freezing temperatures from Saturday to Thursday (January 21-26).

Miss Muzzall, of Seaside Road, said she contacted her landlord Places for People when the heating stopped working suddenly.

The mother, 29, said the company then sent a workman over on Sunday (January 22) who confirmed the boiler needed replacing.

The heating was working extremely intermittently, coming on for 10 minutes and then turning off again for long stretches. The mother, 26, says she tried constantly to contact the company but got no response.

Miss Muzzall was particularly concerned about her daughter Lacey, two, who suffers badly from asthma.

She said, “I’m so frustrated. I don’t know what to do anymore. It’s been so cold and horrible and I’ve been so worried for my daughter.

“The way we have been treated is a disgrace. Places for People have been absolutely rubbish.

“They said if you email they get back to you in two days – it’s just not good enough. I have tried to call but there are always massive queues. It’s not fair, we pay full rent.”

A spokesperson for Places for People said, “When we visited Miss Muzzall’s home on Sunday, the boiler was working correctly, providing both heating and hot water.

“However, due to the age of the appliance and availability of parts, a replacement boiler was recommended, and our gas supervisor reported this to the installation engineer the next day.

“We are sorry that Miss Muzzall feels that there has been an issue with regards to communication with Places for People. However, we have contacted her to book a replacement boiler which was due to be installed on Thursday (January 26).

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