ANGRY residents are hitting out after their electricity was cut off and they were told it wouldn’t be fixed for days – leaving them without any heating or hot water and fridges full of spoiled Christmas food.

Mark Bowditch, 49, a resident Green House in Bedford Road, said the electricity was cut off to around seven of the Synergy-owned flats, leaving those affected without hot water or heating.

Mr Bowditch said: “At around 4.15pm yesterday the lights flickered a bit and then came back on quite bright.

“Then everything just went out. I opened up my electric meter and there were no digital numbers showing.”

He explained the residents called Synergy’s emergency engineering number on Friday and were told an engineer would be sent out that night.

Mr Bowditch said when no-one arrived he called Synergy again and they said the message had not been passed to the on-call electricians.

He said that when electricians eventually attended Green House on Saturday, they told him the fault was the responsibility of Ledbetter Properties and it was unlikely the problem would be fixed before today – leaving residents cold.

Mr Bowditch said they were offered fan heaters and extension leads to plug into communal sockets – except these can’t be delivered until today either.

“I’m very annoyed. We have got no heating, nothing. All I have got is a gas cooker.

“Synergy told me it was Ledbetter Properties’ responsibility.

“The thing that gets me is what will happen if Ledbetter is closed for Christmas – will we be left like this?” Mr Bowditch asked.

“In the block there are people of a wide range of ages.

“We have a neighbour with no electricity who is 91. Another lady has a small child of four or five years old and has no electricity.

“I’m worried about Christmas food as well because the fridges don’t work.”

A 36-hour battery-powered electricity supply is keeping fire alarms and automatic locking on entrance doors working, but after this Mr Bowditch said, he fears that no one would know if there was a fire without alarms and safety would be compromised as the doors would unlock themselves.

He said: “I would have thought Synergy could stand up and do something because at the end of the day we are paying our rent.

“If it can’t be fixed, they should supply us with the extension cables and heaters before Monday.”

A spokesman for Synergy said they were unable to get a comment to the Echo before it went to press.