HUNDREDS of householders have been left without gas, heating and hot water for nearly a week in what has been described as a “shambolic” situation.

More than 270 homes in the Strawberry Vale Estate, East Finchley cook on their hob after a fault meant the mains supply had to be switched off.

Some have also been left without heating and hot water.

Parents are unable to sterilise their baby’s bottles and people have been forced to fork out for expensive, unhealthy takeaways as the wait for the problem to be fixed.

But they say Peabody – which owns the site – has offered little support and they are no closer to getting the problem fixed.

Dr Magdy Mohamed, of Nursery Road, lives on the estate with his wife and children, Mariam and Yusra, who are aged two and six months.

He has had no heating, hot water or gas since last Wednesday – meaning he cannot cook any hot meals or bathe his daughters.

He said: “We’ve had no heating and my two children are sick – it’s no surprise because it’s absolutely freezing.

“We can’t sterilise the baby’s bottles. We were told we could have electric heaters but nobody gave us any, so we had to get some ourselves.

“We can’t cook proper meals so having to eat simple things, but when you have two children that is very tough.

“Peabody have done nothing. The people we trust have been completely inefficient.”

The gas was shut off a few years ago after the pipes cracked and the freeholders had to pay amounts close to £6,000 to see it fixed.

But over Christmas they noticed the gas pressure drop and the National Grid said they had to turn the supply off last Wednesday for “safety” reasons.

Halawi Ali, 48, lives on the estate with seven children aged 20 to 7. While her hot water and heating have worked, she has to rely on a small hot plate to feed her children.

She said: “I am not able to cook big meals because the portable hob they bought over is tiny. I can’t serve them big portions. The children are stressed and hungry – they need hot food.”

Dave Green, 70, cares for his wife, Janet, 68, who has dementia and says the lack of a hob has caused “huge problems”.

He said: “We’ve had to rely on takeaways and that’s quite expensive. I was told it was repaired so why is it not on yet?

“It’s been difficult because I usually cook fresh food such as salmon and chicken for Janet, but now we’ve had to rely on greasy, unhealthy takeaways.

“It is frustrating.”

Laurence Williamson, the chairman of the Strawberry Vale Residents’ Association, was cooking a roast for himself and his son, Ollie, 29, when the gas suddenly came off.

He said: “We have a microwave so can cook microwave meals but they are full of salt.

“I was irritated – we’ve had problems like this before, so this is ridiculous and it should not have happened.”

Other neighbours have blasted the “terrible” customer service they receive from Peabody.

Lawyer Shona Perkins said: “I have no hot water, heating or gas and I don’t want to plug a portable heater in because the bill would be astronomical.

“I dread coming home after work. I’m not keeping warm, it’s cold and I am not well. I am really fed up.

“It’s astounding because when you call Peabody, they’ve got no clue what’s going in.

“Peabody started out as social housing and aren’t supposed to be profit making, but the pendulum has swung away from the initial intent.

“I am disappointed with the disregard for they have for the tenants.”

While Peabody offers tenants affected by the problems a complimentary dinner at the community centre, this is between 5pm and 6pm – before most have returned from work.

Dan Bordch, a banker, and his wife usually cook their lunch and dinner in advance but have had to splurge an extra £50 this week on food.

He said: “It’s been inconvenient – a lot of food has gone off and vegetables have wilted as I can’t cook them. Our hot water has been sporadic.

“It’s annoying but it doesn’t surprise me – Peabody are a shambles. They are a disastrous company.”
A Peabody spokesperson apologised, saying said: “It can’t be fully reinstated until engineers are satisfied that this can be done safely, and this cannot be done quickly.

"While engineers are working to find a safe and effective solution, our top priority is to look after the welfare of our residents, particularly those who are most vulnerable and for whom we have been providing home visits and delivering hot meals.

“Members of our neighbourhood team have been on site since Thursday, and will continue to be available to support local residents until the situation is resolved."