Cost of living: Burnley free plumbing charity sees 'massive' rise in calls

James Anderson said people "shouldn't have to choose between heating and eating"

A plumber who works for free for vulnerable people has said he has been inundated and fears a "catastrophic" winter as energy bills soar.

James Anderson, of Burnley, Lancashire, set up the community interest company in 2017 to help elderly and disabled people struggling to pay for repairs.

He said one of his staff members had recently taken 297 calls asking for help.

"Desperate" people were being forced between "heating or eating", he said.

Mr Anderson set up Depher - Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair - after dealing with people in deprived circumstances suffering from poor heating and plumbing.

He said it had now helped two million people thanks to crowdfunding, including donations from Hugh Grant.

The 55-year-old, originally from Liverpool, told BBC North West Tonight the firm was seeing a "massive rise" in calls for help from people who were "desperate".

He described it as "heartbreaking", adding: "It isn't even winter yet. People shouldn't have to choose between heating and eating."

Mr Anderson said he put the rise in calls down to the cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Anderson said it was "heartbreaking" how many people were struggling in the cost of living crisis

Depher, which has 12 members of staff, was now assisting people across the UK by enlisting the support of contractors in other regions to do work on its behalf and it then paid the bill, he said.

Mr Anderson added that it provided more than plumbing and heating repairs to elderly and disabled people, also offering food, gas and electricity credit and giving out slow cookers which were more economical than conventional ovens.

The scale of the operation showed "we are needed" and it was a "vital service", he said.

While he said he feared the winter would be "catastrophic" as the cost of living crisis deepened, he said Depher was ready to do all it could to help.

"We're prepared," Mr Anderson said.

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