A young family have spent more than six weeks without hot water and central heating because of a faulty boiler at their rented flat.

Mum Phoebe Baker has been forced to get her newborn baby and toddler washed at her mum's home throughout the snowy snap and Christmas.

Phoebe and partner Tyrone Waters, both aged 20, have made countless calls to the maintenance company Liberty Group and their landlord mhs homes since the appliance broke down on November 18.

Despite fruitless visits from engineers to get it fixed and urgent emails to the mhs chief executive highlighting their plight, it was still not working over the New Year.

But after KentOnline and its sister publication the Kent Messenger made inquiries asking why it was taking so long, an mhs boss responded with an apology and a pledge to get it sorted yesterday (Tuesday)Jan 3.

The couple were supplied with temporary fan heaters to warm up their first home in Tylers Place, Maidstone.

But Phoebe said she had been waking up at 4am "freezing" to give two-month-old Leyton a feed and Tyrone was driving the children to her mum's house in Shepway for baths every other day.

She said: "It is really stressing us out. Time and time and time again they have promised to come over and not turned up. Twice they said they needed to order a new part and then they said the order had got lost.

"It seems we are just being ignored."

Phoebe said her eldest son Arthur-James had become ill and the baby had grown clingy, "knowing that something was wrong".

She was having to boil kettles to do washing up and wash clothes. Thankfully there is an electric oven in the two-bedroom first floor flat so they were able to cook meals.

She said: "Fan heaters are expensive to run. I dread to think what the bills will be."

Phoebe added that she had tried to remain calm throughout the ordeal but Tyrone, a self-employed builder, had got angry with the ongoing situation,

The family were so desperate for help that they wrote to the town's MP Helen Grant asking for support.

"It’s a priority for us to make sure every household has a safe place to live. We’re doing all we can to resolve the situation as soon as possible..."

Simon Hague, mhs interim director of housing management, said the boiler was recently installed and the manufacturer was due to replace the faulty part yesterday January 3.

He added: "We’re really sorry it’s taken so long for the family’s boiler to be repaired.

"We’ve provided the family with temporary heaters and will be in touch with them to discuss any extra costs they’ve incurred.

"It’s a priority for us to make sure every household has a safe place to live. We’re doing all we can to resolve the situation as soon as possible."

Phoebe said this morning: "Fingers crossed. Me and my partner are both dreaming of having a hot bath."