Mum fumes after being 'left with no heating' over previous tenant's unpaid £29 bill

Sarah Thomson, 38, from Midlothian, says she has been left without heating following a mishap with her bill. She claims the council failed to pay a previous tenant's debt

A widowed mum has slammed her council after she was left with no heating due to a previous tenant who didn't pay a bill.

Sarah Thomson, 38, and her teenage daughter moved into their new home in Lasswade, Scotland, this summer. However, they soon realised that they didn't have access to "basic amenities".

The former nurse said she was unaware that Midlothian Council had failed to pay the debt at first. But when she tried to get it reinstated, she was told there was still £29 outstanding on the account.

She claims that when she alerted the council to the issue, a support worker told her to take out a crisis loan to pay it off. She says it is costing her a "fortune" because she's constantly having to boil a kettle to get hot water.

Speaking about the mishap, Sarah said, “They refused to take responsibility and expected me to go into debt myself over an unpaid bill that had nothing to do with me.

“It may not seem like a huge amount but when every penny counts it is important and, on principle alone, I shouldn’t have to pay. A letter demanding payment came to the house but it wasn’t sent to me it was sent to the council. It is their debt not mine.”

Sarah, whose husband died several years ago, was moved to the house from a home in Pathhead where conditions were so bad the owner of the neighbouring property put up a giant banner in the garden shaming Midlothian Council for its condition, reports Edinburgh Live. At the time the outside of the property was in a dilapidated state with peeling paint and cracks in the wall, inside sewage leaked in through the taps and bugs infested the rooms.

The council moved Sarah and her daughter into the new house in Lasswade but instead of a fresh new start she found more problems. She said: “When I went to use the gas I found it had been cut off and I called the power company who said there was an outstanding amount of debt on the electricy bill and they could not reinstate the gas until it was cleared.

“The electricity works but I have no heating and have to boil kettles for hot water which costs me a fortune. I should have basic amenities in my home but instead of simply clearing the debt, the council is messing around. I don’t understand why they don’t just do the right thing.”

A Midlothian Council spokesman said: “We are very concerned to hear that our tenant is having challenges with the utility company. It is unacceptable for a new tenant to be held responsible for a prior occupant’s debt, which the energy supplier needs to resolve. We are referring Ms Thomson to Changeworks.

"Changeworks is a registered charity that supports residents with utility issues. They can help her resolve the matter as she’s obviously not liable for a bill for someone living in the home previously.”

The Mirror has contacted the council for comment.