A COUPLE claim their family’s Christmas has been ruined as their housing association won’t fix their faulty kitchen.
Newlyweds Sarah and Colin Palmer say they have no cash left to buy any presents this year because they’ve had to splash it all on takeaways and eating out.
The pair spend about £300 a week at their local chippy, pub, Domino’s Pizza and on microwave meals – and that’s on top of their supermarket shop.
It means they are having to scrape by this festive season, with their kids and grandchildren getting second-hand gifts or nothing at all.
To make matters worse, Sarah and Colin can’t host their relatives on December 25 as they’ve got no room and nowhere to cook.
While they wait for new flooring to be installed and their £700 oven to be delivered, they only have a camping stove and air fryer to make meals with.
Most of their kitchen items are also piled high in other rooms in the house, meaning there is nowhere for guests to sleep.
A distraught Sarah said: “I simply cannot afford Christmas this year.
“My kids are getting second-hand presents, like our old Ninja food processor.
“I can’t give them money like I normally do as I haven’t got any to give them.”
She continued: “I only got married in August and we can’t enjoy ourselves.
“We’ve got a carcass of a sink unit in the kitchen and not much else.
“I was hoping to host Christmas this year like I usually do but now I’ve got to go all the way to Birmingham to my eldest daughter’s.
“My kids and grandkids usually come down to me as I’m disabled and we have the biggest house. They all love my cooking.
“I’ve had to fork out more money to go to a restaurant for Christmas dinner as I can’t cook in my daughter’s kitchen.”
The 57-year-old said they first experienced problems at their two-bedroom bungalow in Yatton, Somerset, during the summer when their cooker “exploded”.
When it was removed and the “bumpy” floor ripped up, they discovered their kitchen was riddled with damp and mould from a leak.
Mum-of-three Sarah, who was awaiting a hip replacement, immediately contacted housing association Stonewater and was promised the issues would be rectified quickly.
But five months later and the Palmers are still waiting.
I simply cannot afford Christmas this year.
Sarah Palmer
“They are dragging their heels. It is despicable,” Sarah, who has lived there for 15 years, said.
“All they’ve done is put a bit of plywood where the trip hazard was and that’s it.”
With nowhere to cook, the couple have been ordering takeaways and eating out – to the tune of around £6,000.
Sarah, who works early shifts for Amazon, said: “I can’t physically use the kitchen anymore as I’m disabled and my husband is not a cook.
“He tries his best, but we’ve had to spend so much money on takeaways. About £300 a week.
“We try to cook with a camping stove on my washing machine and an air fryer balanced on my tumble dryer, but it’s so dangerous.
“A gas stove is for camping, not for use in your own home.”
Stonewater has apologised for the delays and vowed to complete the installation as soon as possible.
A spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry that one of our customers has been waiting for a repair to their kitchen floor much longer than is reasonable to expect.
“Looking back at the history of repairs to the property to fix the two leaks reported to us, I can see no reason why a new cooker could not have been connected, with us organising the works around this.
“We should have been clearer about this and will work with the customer so they can do this as soon as possible.
“In recognition of the inconvenience this will have caused we will meet the cost of a new cooker.
“We will also be looking to compensate the customer as part of our response to the complaint the customer has already made.
“I hope this will help with the additional cost of providing food they have incurred while they have been without a working cooker.
“We have also already instructed our contractors to fit a brand-new kitchen at the property.”
Sarah and Colin Palmer say they spend up to £300 a week on takeaways and eating out. On an average week, this includes:
£30 a week on ready meals
£60 a week on going out to restaurants
£75 a week on going to their local chip shop
£40 on Domino’s on payday
The rest on Indian and Chinese takeaways and going to their local pub
