Pensioners Florence and Donald Drake have had to sit huddled around a calor gas fire - windows open to let out the fumes - because their new gas fire failed to work properly for about five weeks.

Several calls to the British Gas energy centre in Keighley failed to get a spark of response, they say, as their bill to keep warm built up.

Florence, 69, and Donald, 74, have no central heating in their Broomhill Mount home. "I feel absolutely sickened," says Florence. "We have been trying to keep warm with only a calor gas heater, but we must keep the window open to let the fumes out. It is costing a fortune. It is getting cold and Christmas is nearly on us. We want to have the family over - how can we face Christmas like this?"

The couple bought the fire in January from the energy centre, paying £519. It was a buy-now-pay-later deal and in July they settled the bill in full. But by September the fire was playing up. "It kept going out," says Florence. "It would burn for so long, then go pop and go off."

She called into the energy centre to tell staff of the fault - five weeks ago now - and she was told someone would arrive to look at the fire within 24 hours. When nobody arrived she got in contact again, was told their name was on the computer and someone would be there in 24 hours. She says nobody turned up. "Whenever I telephoned the line was busy so I eventually telephoned the head office and I was told someone would definitely call on us," she says. "I made my last call on Monday - still nobody has arrived."

A British Gas spokesman responded: "We are very disappointed in the breakdown of communication and we are looking into what happened. It won't happen again." She said the company would contact the couple straight away and the problem would be sorted out.

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