Pictured is Shirley Walsh at her home on Kathleen Road, Hull, where she is forced to use electric heaters, hot water bottles and blankets to keep warm. See Ross Parry story RPYCOLD; A 74-year-old widow has been left "freezing" in her Hull home for months after her gas was cut off leaving her with no central heating or hot water. Shirley Walsh, from east Hull, takes SIX hot water bottles to bed with her at night in a desperate bid to keep warm. The retired seamstress says her supply was cut off in September after workmen found a leak in pipes under her front garden in Kathleen Street, where she has lived for 43 years. But because the leak was on her property, Northern Gas Networks told her she would have to pay for the repair, a cost the pensioner says she can't afford.
Millions of pensioners feel unsafe in their own home, a study has found.
Falling ill or having an accident with no-one nearby to help, anti-social behaviour and having no support is leaving almost one in five pensioners fearful in their own home as they get older.
Others admit to worrying they are going to be targeted by burglars or forceful cold callers when at home alone.
Worryingly, despite four in ten saying they wouldn’t want to go into a care home, more than a quarter believe they are the only safe option once you reach a certain age or if your health begins to deteriorate.
And 44 per cent admit to always trying to make sure a phone is close by in case they need assistance while on their own.
A spokesman for personal alarm firm My SOS Family (mysosfamily.com), which commissioned the research, said: “It’s worrying to see so many of our elderly generation feel unsafe in their own homes.
“For many, particularly those who live alone, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour can leave you feeling vulnerable.
“But there is also the worry of having an accident or falling ill but being unable to reach anyone for help.
“Even everyday situations such as reaching something off a high shelf can leave some elderly people feeling isolated in their home.”
