A FRAIL elderly couple have complained to British Gas after being told they would have to wait ten days in freezing cold conditions for a faulty boiler to be fixed.

Derek Henry, 84, and his wife, Margaret, 82, of Melksham, said they had received an “unsatisfactory response” to their request for an urgent service call-out.

The company said they would have to wait ten days for a plumber to replace a faulty part on the boiler providing their central heating and hot water.

Mr Henry said: “We are elderly, in somewhat frail condition, and the prospect of lasting ten days without hot water or central heating is quite out of the question. We require a full refund of the balance of costs involved.”

Mr Henry, a retired electronics engineer who used to work on the UK’s air traffic control navigation systems, said he requested the urgent service call-out on November 7.

“The earliest date they were able to offer was nine days later on November 16. However, I was offered £199 in order to engage a local emergency plumber.

"I tried very hard to get an earlier visit but was told that this was not possible due to pressure of demands on their services."

Mr Henry said he had found a local plumber who inspected the boiler on November 8 and fixed it on November 9.

He pays British Gas Services £288 a year for a 12-month service plan covering his boiler, controls and central heating, including an annual service.

He added: “The central system failed to start on the early morning of November 7. I tried to reset it without success.

“Since it was a very cold day, below freezing, I felt that urgent action was required. The house, although well insulated, was getting progressively colder and overnight became more serious.”

Mr Henry paid the local plumber £600 to fix the boiler and is now asking British Gas to reimburse the extra £400 he was forced to spend on top of the firm’s £199 offer.

He added: “I am extremely unhappy about the level of service provided by British Gas in responding to this incident.

A British Gas spokesman said: “We’re looking into the incident.”