Wigan family of eight left without gas for over a fortnight

Kerry Stroud, 41 and her husband, Kevin, a 42-year-old drainage operator, live in a council house in Scholes with their six children Lexi, five, Alex 10, Kyle,16, Josh, 18, Jake, 22, and Austin, 23.

On October 10 their smart gas meter stopped working which meant that they were without heating and hot water.

Kerry and Kevin called the local authority who told them to contact their energy provider. The couple contacted Boost Energy and were told that their will be an engineer out to fix or replace their meter that day.

However, the engineer replaced their smart meter with a top-up card one which still didn’t work as the family had to wait for a card to be sent and activated.

During this time, Lexi was unwell with what they thought was a chest infection, but during a visit to the hospital doctors told them it was pnuemonia. Lexi is now recovering.

After days without gas they got in touch with the Citizens’ Advice Bereau. Their meter was back working again from October 27.

However, for every £10 on it, they are deducted £6. Kerry and Kevin believe they are now being unfairly charged for their replacement meter, after being left without gas for so long and having to spend more money than they would on phone calls to the company and on ready-meals. They are in the process of raising a complaint.

Kerry said: “My main concern was my little girls. We’d been to A and E with her twice. The first time was on October 10, the day the meter went off. We got told it was just a chest infection but when we went back a few days later, they told us it that she had pnuemonia.

"I told the company that she had pnuemonia and all they said was that they were ‘sorry for the inconvenience’.

"I was getting upset because I knew I needed gas for her. I was having to use more electric to boil the kettle for hot water to bath her. I was walking up and down the stairs – which is not good really because I’m waiting for an operation on my leg. I’m back on the crutches again now.

“We had to have cold showers. My husband works in drainage and my sons play football.

"The meter just died. They sent an engineer out to replace it but he fitted a card meter, not a smart meter. They guy said he had ‘no more smart meters on the van’.

"I was told to ring the next day for a top-up card to be sent out. I did that but after nine days, they were still telling me the card was on its way.

"When I called again they then said they don’t issue cards and that I have to get one from the shop.

"After being messed about quite a bit we went to Citizen’s Advice which prompted them to send us out a top-up card. But since then, we’ve noticed that for every £10 we top-up, they’re taking £6 off it. It’s been so stressful.

A Wigan council spokesperson said: “We are attempting to contact the family to discuss the issues they have been experiencing and to see what support can be provided.”

Wigan Today have contacted Boost for comment.