AN elderly Winchester couple say they are fed up with the city council's housing team after their home was hit with heating problems.

Alan and Julia Coles claim they have had to endure the cold for two months-all because they tried to get the council to replace a gas fire in their lounge.

The authority disputes their claims.

The couple had used the gas fire to heat their council house in Taplings Road, Weeke, because of problems with the central heating.

The system is faulty, they say, and is either too hot or cold and has never worked properly, so they need the fire to control a moderate heat-because both have respiratory problems.

But they say when they tried to get a new fire at the end of January, a gas fitter told them he couldn't fit it without a new seal, which he said he wasn't qualified to install.

The Coles say they were desperate to fix the problem because the central heating affected Alan's asthma, but maintain the council refused to do the work as it would cost too much and the couple would have to pay.

"We are not happy with the council. We are tenants and it's their job to look after us," maintained 70-year-old Julia Coles, who has lived with her husband in Taplings Road for 51 years.

"It's been a nightmare and still is."

"All we ask is that we can have our own fire to sit around and be comfortable," said Alan, who has been registered disabled since 1972.

He says that despite writing to the council, on February 12th, he received no response until February 23rd and all his pleas to the housing team about the problems had been ignored, along with his request for someone to visit and assess his health needs.

A council spokesman said that their houses in Weeke had full central heating but there was an option for residents to choose the type of fire they wanted.

"The type of fire Mr and Mrs Coles have chosen requires it to be enclosed and this doesn't fit properly. If Mr Coles wants this type of gas fire, he will need to make arrangements for the alterations, in line with council requirements and pay to have this done."

He added that because the couple had complained of problems with their heating, thermostatic radiator valves had been installed so they had greater control over their room temperature.

Of the health problems, he added that the council had paid for an occupational therapist to assess Mr Coles's needs by telephone as it had been decided that a home visit was not necessary.

He said a decision to change the heating arrangements would have to be supported by a doctor's letter.