A heating engineer has raised money to buy a new boiler for a 92-year-old man who was using his gas cooker to help heat his home.

Will Long who lives in a mobile home retirement village in Abbots Langley said his boiler broke back in October last year and has not had any hot water or heating since.

He said he was unable to pay for it to be fixed, and was using a gas fire for warmth.

As a result of his broken boiler, he couldn't have a bath for six months and used a kettle to heat water used to wash himself.

The charity, Herts Help, contacted heating engineer, Winston Davis, after Mr Long was caught by a neighbour heating his home using his gas hob burners.

Mr Davis has been providing free emergency repairs for the elderly during the coronavirus pandemic and the charity asked if he would be willing to check Mr Long's boiler.

Mr Long needed a new boiler but Mr Davis was unable to pay for one himself and decided to set up a fundraising page. Mr Davis managed to raise more than £1000 within a day and fitted the new boiler himself.

He said: "You can't leave a gas cooker on for any long amount of time, especially with no air coming in. If there was a fault in that appliance he could have died.

"He said he felt felt very desperate and helpless because no body would come out to help him, and it wasn't good for his health."

"So, I felt really privileged to help and to see the community come together to help Will."