An Erith family say they have been ‘left to rot’ after an engineer reportedly refused to fix their boiler after hearing one of them cough.

Dave French, of West Street, said his family have now been left without hot water and heating as they self-isolate for 14 days.

An engineer attended the property last Friday (March 13) to fix the boiler, but allegedly walked out shortly after hearing a cough.

A contractor, BSW Heating, was reportedly informed by the engineer that the family had coronavirus, which the family have denied repeatedly.

But their housing association, Orbit, defended the engineer's decision and said work will resume once the family self-isolate for two weeks.

The family say they have had issues with the boiler since last month, and despite work taking place on February 17, the boiler broke again within a matter of days.

Housing association Orbit reportedly provided the family with two heaters; however, the family say the heater cannot heat a three-story house.

Mr French told News Shopper: “We have two children, one with asthma and a three-year-old who is also under the weather.

"Boiling a kettle for a bath takes nearly two hours and doesn't really work for us.

“It's making us feel like the landlord has no care for our wellbeing- with the boiler issues potentially being the reason for us feeling under the weather.

“It's made us all feel worthless and that we are being left to rot.

“We work hard to pay our rent to the landlord and feel their duty of care is nothing short of abysmal.

"The response to the outbreak has reached a point of mass panic now."

A spokesperson for Orbit said: “Our priority is the health and safety of every individual connected to Orbit from our customers and employees, through to our contractors.

“Following the guidelines issued by Public Health England, our contractor made the correct decision not to re-enter the property.

“Instead, he made sure the customer still had access to water and left behind two temporary heaters.

“As soon as the customer confirms that the self-isolation period is over, we will reschedule the works as a priority.”

The family said it is currently in the process of seeking legal advice and are considering taking Orbit to court for damages.