STUDENTS were left without heating and warm water for five days after the gas supply to their flat was cut off without warning, a landlord has claimed. 

Tony Gearing says his tenants in Hamlet Drive, Greenstead, were left without gas in the middle of a storm. 

The students, who study at Essex University, had moved into the flat a week before the incident in mid-January. 

Prior to them occupying the flat it had been empty for a month. 

Mr Gearing said he was now taking "heartless" gas supplier Cadent to court after failing to get compensation. 

He said: “Cadent cut off my tenants without making contact with them. 

Gazette: Works - Cadent's gas work had landlord Tony Gearing upsetWorks - Cadent's gas work had landlord Tony Gearing upset (Image: Tony Gearing)

“Cadent’s engineers did this on a Friday and then downed tools and left for their warm homes for the weekend. They were heartless. 

“Cadent tell me they had been trying to contact my tenants for weeks, but my tenants had only moved into the flat in Hamlet Drive a few days before.” 

His tenants had hoped it would not be a lasting issue before leaving for the campus on Friday but had to endure an entire weekend and days after cut off the supply. 

On the Monday Mr Gearing’s tenants informed their landlord about the issue, who immediately called an emergency gas engineers to look at the issue. 

“Cadent’s engineers promised to get my boiler working again if I got them access to the flat to do their work,” Mr Gearing said. 

 “I explained what had happened to my tenants and got them to let in Cadent’s engineers. But Cadent’s engineers did not get the boiler working again. Once they had finished their work, they left for their warm homes again, continuing to leave my tenants without heat and hot water.” 

Mr Gearing paid out £3,000 and had a new boiler installed after concerns a resolution could not be found. 

He claims he was told by a Cadent worker he would get compensation for taking measures into his own hands. 

Gazette: Upsetting - Landlord Tony Gearing found tipped over barriers at a site of Cadent works in Hamlet Drive in January Upsetting - Landlord Tony Gearing found tipped over barriers at a site of Cadent works in Hamlet Drive in January (Image: Tony Gearing)

But until now he has not received compensation and has brought the issue to court, hoping to settle the matter through mediation. 

He added: “It seems Cadent are not just heartless, they do not keep their word. I particularly think they do poor work in disadvantaged areas like Greenstead.” 

A Cadent spokesman said: “As this matter is the subject of legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”