Horrified residents in an assisted care home have been told their radiators aren’t broken – they're capped at a "low" temperature by their housing provider on purpose.
Saffron Housing came under fire after elderly people in its Barley Court development resorted to wearing coats in their own homes to fend off the icy temperatures.
The tenants – who rent and pay utilities to Saffron Housing and are supported by carers from Norse – believed their heating was broken.
However a spokesman from the provider denied this.
Instead he confirmed the temperatures were set to “low” on purpose.
Jason MacCormick, director of sustainability at Saffron, said: “We do not want any of our tenants, especially those who are vulnerable, to live in a cold home. A member of our maintenance team has attended the scheme.
“The radiators at Barley Court are designed to run at a low and constant temperature.
“We are taking regular temperature readings in flats with the most recent temperature data averaging 20.1C.
“The radiators are working but we are aware they are not running at their optimum capacity.
“We are planning to have the radiators upgraded when the weather is warmer as we do not want to leave our tenants with no heating during the winter months.”
According to research journal Age and Aging, the temperature of homes of elderly people should be set to around 25C.
The revelation prompted outrage from Paula Goldsmith, daughter of 71-year-old resident Pauline Webb, who called the decision “crazy”.
She said: "The pipes to the radiators are boiling hot but there’s no heat if you put your hand to the radiator.
“It’s just crazy. They’re tenants who pay rent.
“My mum’s got the gauge on the side of her radiator whacked up as high as it would go but it seems she’s not in control of it. If I was told by my landlord I had heating but I couldn’t turn it up past a certain point I’d be furious.
“My mum is older and with her health problems she has to sit in a chair for hours on end. I might be OK at 20C but she definitely isn’t.”
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