A PREGNANT woman spent a year without central heating or hot water while waiting for grant-funded work to be carried out.

But Neysa Yates today thanked the Lancashire Evening Telegraph after we contacted the company involved and she was given a date for the job within days.

Neysa, 28, was two months pregnant when the back boiler at her home in Hodder Street, Accrington, broke in August 2002.

She and her husband, Derek, 31, were entitled to a grant from Eaga, a social enterprise organisation which works with central government to offer insulation and heating improvements, because they qualify for working family tax credit.

They were told it could take up to six months but the work has still not been carried out.

Neysa, who gave birth to Mason in March and has another son Jacob, 10, said: "I told them countless times that I was pregnant and then that I had a small baby.

"I'm boiling kettles and pans so we have hot water but with a 10-year-old in the house it's an accident waiting to happen.

"Eventually, we had to have a shower put in because it was hard work going to my mum's house.

"But recently we have become concerned because Mason is getting too big for the baby bath. I started to lose hope of them carrying the work out."

After the Lancashire Evening Telegraph called Newcastle-based Eaga the family was told the work would be carried out this week.

A spokesman for Eaga said the work required would cost more than the maximum grant available and, because Neysa was unable to pay the excess, they had to find a company which would bear that cost.

An installer was found, she said, who would undertake the excess work in return for the contract, but it ceased to work for Eaga before the job was carried out.

She said: "We explained to the client that we could not prioritise individual cases and were still pressing for an installers to accept the excess quote for the work.

"Another installer has now agreed to accept the excess."

Neysa added: "It should not be that we have to get a newspaper involved to get a result, but we are very happy for the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's help."

Anyone else experiencing problems can contact 0800 316 6011 or visit www.eaga.co.uk for information on the company, its schemes and current waiting times.