Seventy-four year-old Morag Currie reported a fault with the gas boiler at her Roslin Crescent home to her landlord, Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) on January 22.

Five visits from ACHA-approved contractors failed to resolve the situation, leaving Morag with only a kettle to provide hot water, and a single gas fire in her living room to heat the entire house.

"I phoned ACHA on January 22 to tell them I had no central heating or hot water because my boiler was on the blink," Morag told us.

"In this weather I'm lucky to get up in the morning. It's so cold I could make ice cubes in my bathroom.

"My central heating system was only installed three years ago - I think ACHA are just playing with people's lives.

"That boiler would have been replaced ages ago if my house was still owned by the council."

Engineers from Glasgow-based Gas Call Services, ACHA's approved gas central heating maintenance contractor, visited Morag's home on the day she reported the fault, and again on February 1, 4 and 12, to try and fix the problem, without success.

Morag explained the situation to us last Wednesday, and received a further visit from two workmen on Friday, only to discover that one of the two spare parts they had brought with them did not fit her boiler.

ACHA's repair and maintenance programme organises faults into three response categories: emergency (a response within two hours and completion of work within 24 hours), urgent (a response and completion within five working days) and routine (response and completion within 20 working days).

Tenants can apply for compensation if work is not carried out to the required standard, though Morag told us she didn't feel that pursuing a compensation claim was worth the hassle.

"They've got you every different way," she said. "It's like you're fighting against a brick wall."

We put Morag's case to ACHA and were told on Tuesday by their chief executive, Alastair MacGregor: "The association's contractor, Gas Call, have had difficulties in sourcing a replacement part for the boiler.

"This matter has now been resolved and Gas Call have arranged with Mrs Currie to fit the part today.

"The association very much regrets any inconvenience caused by the delay to Mrs Currie and hope that the work carried out today will ensure that the heating system in her home is back to normal."