PENSIONERS at a Hythe residential home say they are being forced to endure cold nights in their beds because they can’t turn on the heating in their rooms.

One elderly resident at the Hythe home says the temperatures are so low she has taken to sleeping with her dogs in her bed in order to keep warm.

Until recently, residents at Howard Oliver House in Harvey Gardens could turn on the heating in their rooms when a sensor records temperatures below 18 degrees centigrade in the complex.

But New Forest District Council chiefs have recently installed a new sensor operated system meaning the temperatures are regulated and radiators can’t be turned on.

Closed fire doors nearby prevent the warmth, say residents, who add they are left shivering in their beds at the home.

Resident Sandy Welsh told the Daily Echo how she is so cold at night that she has resorted to sleeping with her two dogs Scrappy and Misha.

She said: “I have one either side of me to keep me warm.

“I’m hoping the problem will be sorted by December, if it isn't it will be very cold in the middle of the night.

“We just want the heating on at night – all we’re asking for is something reasonable.”

With winter around the corner, resident Sandy, who at 69 is one of the younger residents, fears what could happen to the older residents, many of whom suffer from cardiac conditions which are severely affected by the cold.

Another resident, who only gave her first name, Alison, added: “It’s degrading the whole safety of the place.

“If an elderly resident gets up in the night and falls they will freeze and be found dead in the morning.”

A spokesman for New Forest District Council said that until the new heating controls were installed, boilers were on constantly at 13 homes in the area.

A council spokesperson said: “This investment in new temperature controlled systems brings the heating controls at our older persons’ accommodation up to modern environmental and efficiency standards, greatly reducing carbon dioxide emissions and saving money. “During the installation we took advice from Age Concern on the appropriate temperature and have set it two degrees above the level they recommend.

“We appreciate that the system is different to what residents have been used to, however, we are always available to give advice.”

The spokesperson said any resident who found themselves in difficulty should contact the housing helpdesk on 023 8028 5222.