Cost of living crisis: hero plumber works for free for those in need and says there are ‘a lot of tears’

A hero plumber is working for free to help those struggling with the cost of living crisis.

James Anderson, based in Burnley, Lancashire, offers free and discounted plumbing services to vulnerable members of society such as “the elderly, disabled people, and low income families” because he wants to show those struggling that “someone cares”. He also provides financial aid for things such as energy bills or school supplies, and at this time of year, will fill children’s stockings from Santa Claus.

The 55-year-old first set up Depher (an acronym for Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair) in 2017, after receiving a “shocking” phone call that changed his life. An elderly, bed-bound man wanted a second opinion after another engineer had quoted him thousands of pounds for a new boiler.

But when Mr Anderson arrived at the house, he discovered that the customer had been “taken advantage of” and only needed some repair work - not an entirely new system. “I fixed it for him for free, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how many other people this was happening to,” Mr Anderson told NationalWorld.

“How many more innocent and vulnerable people are being scammed? So I knew I had to do something.”

The community interest company may have been started to help elderly and disabled people, but in recent months it has transformed into a much bigger project as families struggle to cope with skyrocketing energy prices and the soaring cost of living. “I’m getting hundreds more calls nowadays, with people who are finding themselves in really bad situations,” Mr Anderson explained.

“When people call, they’re desperate,” the plumber said. “They’re about to lose their homes or possessions, becoming depressed or suicidal, sometimes considering committing criminal offences out of desperation. Some have also become ill because they couldn’t afford to buy food or put the heating on - which of course has a huge knock on effect as it results in more strain on the NHS.”

Some of the people Mr Anderson has helped recently include a family who were concerned their children would go hungry this Christmas, and an elderly lady whose boiler had burst and caused a flood in her home. She was already in a difficult situation financially as her husband passed away last year, and she is struggling to care for her disabled daughter whilst battling leukemia herself.

“She wasn’t going to do anything about it because she couldn’t afford it and didn’t have insurance,” Mr Anderson said. “She could have died - through electrocution, or slipping, for example - so I’m so pleased we heard about her situation.”

When customers realise he’s there to help, and not to charge more money, there are usually “a lot of tears”.

“People are just so shocked,” Mr Anderson told NationalWorld. “They smile, they cry on my shoulder. It proves that we just need to all be more human, which I think is something a lot of us learnt during the pandemic. The only people who didn’t learn it are the politicians.”

He continued: “Helping those who need it - it makes me feel gooey inside. It makes me feel Christmassy. We really do just want to help in any way we can - so if you need us, the best thing you can do is get in touch.”

Mr Anderson recently shared a message from a grateful customer on Depher’s social media. It read: “James, thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting heating and hot water back in my house. I was at my lowest when you came to my rescue. I am on benefits and never would have been able to afford this.

“The boys that fitted it were so kind and worked in very difficult cold conditions. They did a sterling job. Thank you so much James, you are a very caring, compassionate person. I would like to wish you and your lovely family the best this Christmas.”

If you need help you can contact Mr Anderson and his team at Depher on [email protected]. If you can afford to spare some money to help the business continue, you can donate on GoFundMe.