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Christmas

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Original poster

Anyone else in Lancs facing xmas without heating , hot water , oven for xmas ? Cheers United Utilities!!

28 replies

LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 08:37

Electric went off here yesterday at 11 came back on last night.
No gas it's freezing can't have wash am going to have to cancel dinner for family as no gas to cook either!

OP posts:
mumto2andnomore · 23/12/2008 08:42

Saw that on GMTV this morning, fingers crossed they get it back on for you soon.

tistheCEEBEEtobejolly · 23/12/2008 08:43

Oh poor you!

I heard about it on the radio yesterday but hadn't realised that it wasn't all fixed yet.

I live fairly near but fortunately far enough away not to be affected by it.

for you - I really hope UU can sort it in the next 2 days!!

Lizzylou · 23/12/2008 08:52

Same here, no electricity yesterday, that's back on, still no gas.

My next door neighbour just came round to find out if our gas was on, they have a 2 day old newborn DD. And no heating/hot water.

We have an electric oven, just gas hob, so are OK.

It sucks.

Original poster
LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 09:09

Apparantly an engineer is going to have to visit each house bearing in mind there are 18,000 to reconnect on radio!

We will have to go to my sis who had electric storage heaters for xmas but she has a one bed house which is tiny

My 80 year old nan has no heat , water or means of cooking either

it has taken them so long to fix this the first time it was reported was in OCT!!!

OP posts:
ChirpyGrinch · 23/12/2008 09:22

I heard this on the news, what a nightmare.
Hope it fixes soon.

Lizzylou · 23/12/2008 09:30

It's such a stuffup, I hope questions are asked,the leak was a known problem, they obviously should have sorted it earlier (ie. before it blew up).

Your poor Nan. I think the boys's are going to sleep at PIL's tonight (not affected) and my Mom is now coming here tomorrow not tonight as there is no hot water/heating.

I hum, I need a shower and am very snappy at everyone.
DH is driving me nuts just keep disappearing over some work crisis or other and I just want a bloody shower!

Original poster
LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 09:35

I know am of dp being at work and getting warmth!

I am full of cold and chesty anyway! Holed up at home with 3 dc. Baby ended up in our bed last night as it was so cold so didn't sleep!

Good idea at getting kids off to pil we don't have anyone with a big enough house to take us for xmas or we would def be going.

OP posts:
Original poster
LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 11:45

My dad has offered to have my nan for xmas so at least she will be warm and fed!!

for all the elderly people who don't have anyone to help though!

OP posts:
gaussgirl · 23/12/2008 13:17

I don't live there but our electricity has gone off SO often in the last 2 weeks I can reset the 7 days of the heating schedule in my sleep. But I can do without the 'eckin never-set but always 'on' burglar alarm going mental at 3am-ish when the power goes OFF!

sb6699 · 23/12/2008 13:57

Have they given any indication when it will be back on?

Is it affecting the whole of Lancs?

Hadn't heard anything about this - my dad lives there.

Original poster
LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 14:04

It's affecting Rawtenstall over to Crawshawbooth and Bacup.
No they just saying they hope to have it on as soon as possible and some of the 18,000 homes may have it for xmas!

Am so cold am thinking of walking down to supermarket to warm up now that is madness!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 14:09

All we know is that every home will have to have a visit off an engineer to check it is safe when gas goes back on!
Not sure how they are going to do that before xmas

OP posts:
sb6699 · 23/12/2008 14:22

Lily, I think they do have engineers who work over the Christmas period to deal with emergencies - would presume this is one.

Hope they deal with it soon.

Our elec was turned off allday last week so they could carry out maintenance so had no heating/hot water - bummer isn't it.

Lizzylou · 23/12/2008 14:26

The place is crawling with National Grd vans and men with "GAS" written on the back of their jackets, so they are working hard to rectify it.
Just hope they can sort it before Christmas, it's cold and I want a shower (am premenstrual as well as stressed about the normal Christmas rush).
Feel sorry for all the staff they've shipped from all over and their families too as they are working around the clock. I've heard of them switching gas pipes off last night at midnight

Bloody imbeciles who didn't sort the leak in the first place

laundrylover · 23/12/2008 14:34

I am in Mossley (near Oldham)...you are seriously welcome to come for a shower LizzyLou or anyone else feeling whiffy.

Bring kids, get warm, let's have some Dunkirk spirit!!!!

Lizzylou · 23/12/2008 14:38

Thanks LL, it's like the spirit of the Blitz!

Luckily PIL's live in Bury, so should be ok.

At least we have electricity, yesterday we had neither gas nor electricity for much of the day.

laundrylover · 23/12/2008 14:42

This is when electric showers some in useful eh? We managed for a week with the electric shower as our only hot water when we had a new boiler fitted.

New shower is not electric though so in future cut offs we'll all be round to the in-laws too .

Lizzylou · 23/12/2008 15:24

Laundrylover, you are lovely.

Have a Christmas Kiss , seriously, thankyou for your kind offer

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Original poster
LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 15:42

Have just had one of the said 'men' with a 'gas' jaket on come round. Two vans, 3 men later (from Norfolk and Blackpool who may have to work xmas now!!)

getting all excited ............

They are turning everyones meter off doesn't think it's likely to be on tom either

Have told dp to go and buy two electric heaters on way home!

We going for shower at sis and am trying to make other arrangements for xmas day!

Why would you ignore something since Oct and decide that 23rd Dec is a good day to fix it. Given it's been leaking for 2 months is it any surprise it exploded

OP posts:
Lizzylou · 23/12/2008 15:59

Oh, thought you were goin to say you'd been switched on!

DH turned our gas tap off yesterday. Come on Men, come to my house!!!

We have PIL's electric radiator in our lounge and it isnow roasting, we're going to alternate it in the DS's rooms to warm em up before bed time, and put in some hot water bottles too. My youngest hates being too hot though, so will have to be careful.

Hope you get switched on soon, am so about the whole thing, poor men having to work round the clock and poor everyone for having no heating/hot water/cooker.

Original poster
LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster · 23/12/2008 16:06

They have to manually visit each house to check meters are turned off first!

OP posts:
Lizzylou · 24/12/2008 06:39

There are 4000 back on, we're not one of them. Have had no men here!

Hope you've been lucky Lily!

TWINSETinapeartree · 24/12/2008 06:41

Where abouts in Lancs are you? spoke to my mum this evening and she did not mention anything.

Lizzylou · 24/12/2008 09:12

East Lancs, Twinset.
The Rossendale Valley is the only bit affected I think.
They are now saying that "most" houses should have gas by tonight, crossing my fingers!

TWINSETinapeartree · 24/12/2008 11:58

I am crossing for you.