A Doncaster pensioner paying £150 per week to heat her flat has said the block she lives in has been forgotten by St Leger Homes of Doncaster.

Diane Ashmore, aged 70, of Chevet House in Hyde Park, Doncaster, spent £3,500 between December 1, 2024, and March 1, 2025, on heating her property.

Receipts show Diane spends around £150 per week topping up the heating for her flat, due to poor insulation on the single brick building, which she said she has spent seven years trying to get St Leger Homes of Doncaster (SLHD) to rectify.

She said: “I get £460-a-fortnight and I put more on my heating than I do on myself.

Diane Ashmore, 70, paid £3,500 to top her heating up between December 1, 2024, and March 1, 2025. | LDRS

placeholder image — Diane Ashmore, 70, paid £3,500 to top her heating up between December 1, 2024, and March 1, 2025. | LDRS

“I put my heating on at one o’clock and turned it off at 20 to six and it had spent £30.”

“I’m getting damp. The cold makes me feel wet,” she added.

Diane said she doesn’t want to leave the flat, adding she has lived in the area her entire life. She said SLHD needs to put new insulation on the building and install new windows.

Chevet House, in Hyde Park, is a single-brick building with a number of flats. | LDRS

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited Diane’s flat to speak to her and could see a breeze causing her living room blinds to move, despite all windows and doors being closed.

“In this day and age you should be able to live in a comfortable, warm environment,” Diane said.

“I have to go to bed at six o’clock every night to get under the duvet and get warm. I’m only 70, that’s no life. It’s no life living like this… I feel like I’m knocking my head against a brick wall,” she added.

Diane Ashmore said she believes Chevet House needs upgrading with better insulation and new windows. | LDRS

Diane claimed there are other nearby residents on Universal Credit who do not pay for heating at all because it is too expensive.

She also took aim at the Labour government over its decision to means-test the winter fuel allowance in 2024.

She said: “Last year was horrendous. [The winter fuel payment] is only a couple hundred pounds, but that couple hundred pounds keeps you warm.”

After her lengthy battle for improvements, Diane said SLHD have recently attended Chevet House and she is hopeful of positive steps in the near future, but said the progress only seemed to come after a “kick up the backside” by local councillor Rob Dennis.

A spokesperson at SLHD said: “We have recently carried out surveys at Chevet House and we are reviewing the findings to determine what work may be recommended.

“We remain committed to supporting our customers and will continue to liaise directly with them and address any concerns.”