A priest says he was left stuck in purgatory after 24-hour emergency plumbers failed to show up to fix a leak.

Rodney Schofield, 73, suffered the major leak at his home in Wye last month, and tried to call for a tradesman to come to his house at 8.30pm at night.

But he said that despite promises from one tradesman to arrive within the hour, no one showed up – and to add to his torment, none of the other firms listed in the phonebook would answer the phone, despite advertising 24-hour coverage.

Now Mr Schofield, who is a semi-retired Catholic priest, wants to raise awareness about the firms, which he says are failing to fulfil their promises.

He said: “I called one plumber who told me he would be with me within the hour, but didn’t show up.

"It’s a disgrace. If you have promised to someone you are going to do something, you do it. I could give a sermon on this. It’s a British value that you keep your word" - Rodney Schofield

“The companies advertise 24-hour services to attract custom, but it’s clear to me they had no intention of coming out. Many of them didn’t reply to the telephone call.

“I got a call the next day from one, who claimed to have had a computer crash and lost all my details. To me this computer crash seemed a pretty thin story, and didn’t fool me. My point is not about me personally.

“In the end I was able to cope with the leak, with a little difficulty, as I had a serious operation before Christmas.

“But for those who live on their own who might be elderly or vulnerable, then it would have been a major disaster with their home being flooded.

“It could have been an old lady, and her home would have been written off, with ceilings coming down, and the plumbers would have let her down.

“It’s a disgrace. If you have promised to someone you are going to do something, you do it. I could give a sermon on this. It’s a British value that you keep your word.

“If they just told me beforehand that no, they can’t come out, then I would understand that sometimes people are just busy.”

Many plumbing firms are part of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, and membership director Tim Sainty said that firms can often have order books full for months ahead.

“Although it’s not always possible, prevention is almost always a better approach than cure" - Tim Sainty

Mr Sainty said: “Needing an emergency plumber is a stressful time for any household. Our members work to a code of professional standards which makes it clear that the public can be confident they will be employing someone with the necessary skills and commitment to high standards.

“This ranges from being available to deliver services when required, through to ensuring that those in attendance will hold the appropriate technical skills.

“Although it’s not always possible, prevention is almost always a better approach than cure. Most plumbing and heating engineers are in very high demand. So consumers should try to schedule necessary work in advance rather than when emergency strikes.”

He added that trusted plumber services can be found by visiting www.ciphe.org.uk.