A HOUSING provider left a vulnerable family without hot water for five days, forcing them to take strip down washes in their kitchen.

Paul Martin, who live just off King Arthurs Way, has lived at his Aster-owned property with his family for more than 10 years.

The family of four include his wife, son, daughter and three-year-old granddaughter.

The leak started in the family’s bathroom, which is on the top floor, and soon affected family’s living room.

Mr Martin’s wife, Lorraine, said this is around the fourth time a leak has affected the same spot, which soaked through the wall’s plasterboard and Artex ceiling.

She added that before the water was shut off it was “like a shower”.

Mr Martin reported the leak on Wednesday, March 8 and a plumber came out that evening.

However, she told the family she was not able to fix the leak in the time available but drained the system and turned off the water supply from the problematic pipes.

The next day an engineer came out who also said he could not fix the leak.

The same happened again on Friday and the family were told they would have to wait until the Monday for a plumber to fix the leak.

While the water was turned off in their bathroom, the family resorted to having strip down washes in the kitchen.

Mr Martin, 56, said: “It’s put a lot of stress and strain on the family and we did that over the weekend.

“This is just the latest of the issues.

“When we first moved in we had problems with the boiler, we’ve had numerous leaks.

“They’re quick enough to want our rent.

“It’s a horrible situation. I’ve totally lost faith with them.”

Not only does the family have a young child in the house, Mrs Martin suffers from psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and depression.

The 50-year-old said: “It’s not ideal, I have to wash everyday just to keep the skin soft and moist otherwise it dries and cracks.

“I was absolutely fuming, absolutely disgusted.

“They left us for days without hot water.

“It’s an absolute nightmare, it really is.”

An Aster Group spokesperson said: “Customers experiencing heating or hot water issues are offered the next available appointment, unless we are aware they have any special needs where a loss of heating and hot water will have a significant impact on their health and wellbeing – in which case they are prioritised.

“Unfortunately we weren’t aware of Mrs Martin’s health issues prior to the leak and we are sorry that there was a delay in prioritising the repair accordingly.

“We would ask our customers to let us know of any special needs as soon as possible so that we can ensure their repairs are appropriately prioritised.”