A furious family were left shivering on the coldest day of the year after an insurance company refused to get their heating fixed immediately

Paul Mulvey - "We can have a bath, but we have to sit here freezing to death." Picture: SEANA HUGHES

Paul Mulvey, 50, thought his emergency cover guarded against everything from a leaky roof to burst pipes.

But when the gas central heating packed in, insurers dropped a bombshell. They said they would not mend his heating because he still had hot water.

An astonished Mr Mulvey, of Colchester, said: "What are we supposed to do? Fill up buckets of water and sit in the front room with them?"

Days earlier Lloyds TSB Insurance wrote reminding Mr Mulvey to renew his £60-a-year cover for the house in Berriman's Close.

Mr Mulvey, a transport contractor, said: "I've got about ten insurance policies with Lloyds. I'll cancel them all if they won't help us."

A Lloyds TSB spokeswoman said elderly people with heating problems were given priority in cold weather.

But she said: "In this particular case our customer is claiming his heating situation should be treated as an emergency because an elderly relative is due to stay at his property for a few days.

"Whilst we appreciate Mr Mulvey's concerns over this matter, unfortunately we cannot prioritise our customers on this basis."

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