By David Clegg and April Mitchinson

Irate residents of a “flagship” development of modern homes for senior citizens in Dundee have blasted their landlord after the building’s temperamental heating system broke down again.

Tenants of the new Servite Housing Association complex say the heating and hot water supply in the £3.5 million development, on the junction of Albert Street and Victoria Street, has continually broken down since the property opened in August.

Despite repeated calls to management to have the issue resolved the system packed up again over the weekend, meaning tenants were once more left without hot water or heating.

Although the heating was running again last night Labour councillor Joe Morrow spoke out on behalf of those affected, branding their situation “intolerable.”

Servite Housing last night admitted to “teething problems” with the high-tech system, and apologised for “inconvenience” to tenants.

Resident Andy Jay, who moved into the property late last year with wife Dee, said he expected more from Servite.

“I moved in November and I’ve had problem after problem since that day, and everyone else in the building is the same,” he said.

“But Servite don’t seem bothered about it at all. I think the residents should withhold rent and rates and council tax until it’s sorted out.”

Mr Jay pays £320 a month to live in the property, which is designed to suit those aged 50+ or needing level access accommodation.

His anger was echoed by another resident, who claimed he was considering seeking compensation for the “lack of service.”

The cost of fuel is covered in the rent, but with the heating so frequently out of action Bill Beattie believes he has been paying over the odds.

“I think we are due compensation because they are definitely not providing a proper service.

“They talk about it being a ‘flagship’ development, but it is anything but... As far as we are concerned it is a hardship development.”

The situation emerged when Mr Morrow, who represents the Maryfield ward, contacted The Courier to highlight his concerns about the problem.

He said residents had experienced intermittent problems since October but the situation had declined dramatically in recent days.

“There are more than 50 residents in the complex and they have been experiencing problems on and off since Tuesday,” he said.

“My frustration is we cannot seem to get the matter resolved. I now find it intolerable that my constituents are having to suffer without these basic provisions.

“We have been trying to get something done about this since October, so I think we have shown a level of patience. But I now feel so concerned that people over 50— including vulnerable members of society—are being left like this that I think there has to be some scrutiny of the situation.

“This was meant to be a flagship development—that was how it was sold—and yet we have had people with problems with their hot water and heating for months during the worst period of the winter.”

Servite Housing Association business development director Andrew Kilpatrick said residents had a 24-hour emergency line to contact in the event of problems and prompt action was taken each time it broke down.

“It is a very high-tech system which also generates electricity and there are not many of them in Scotland,” he said.

“We are having a number of teething problems.

“Because of the number of times it has happened I understand residents will be feeling inconvenienced. But we are working with contractors to try to get to the bottom of it.

“In the meantime all we can do is fix it as and when the problem crops up. We are working as hard as we can to resolve this long-term problem.”