Reckless thieves put residents in danger after stealing gas meters from a block of maisonettes.

Five out of the 13 maisonettes in West Bromwich had their meters taken and some were today still waiting for replacements.

The meters were ripped from boxes outside the council-owned homes in All Saints Way on Friday night, which could have put them at risk of an explosion.

Crooks broke the locks and among those left without heating and hot water, and also unable to use her cooker, was 90-year-old Dot Whittle.

The great-grandmother to seven, who has battled bowel cancer, said: “It is terrible as when you are old you really feel the cold. I have had to wrap up warm and rely on a portable heater.”

Her daughter Valerie Baker, 66, said: “It is disgusting. She is an old lady and relies on her heating and hot water.”

Gas repair workers were initially called out to fix a reported central heating problem, before realising the meters had gone missing at the block, which is opposite Sandwell General Hospital.

Dangerous

Resident Julie Cooke, aged 51, a care worker and grandmother of four, said her central heating stopped working on Friday so she called Sandwell Homes the following day.

“We don’t have any electric fires so the only heating we have is the gas central heating,” she said.

“If they are going round doing this, stealing the meters, then people need to be warned about it.

“It could have been really dangerous.”

Mrs Cooke added that it was particularly bad timing for elderly residents to be left without heating with the weather getting worse.

She said it had also been very worrying for residents as they had been warned the damage to the gas equipment could have blown up the flats.

British Gas spokesman Rhys Jones said: “Any theft of gas equipment is particularly dangerous because it causes risk of explosion, endangering not only the people stealing the equipment but also the people all around.

“We will work with the local police to apprehend whoever is responsible.”

Neighbour George March, aged 64, who wasn’t affected, said: “What good is a gas meter to anyone else?

“I really feel for anyone without hot water and heating as there are a lot of elderly people living here.”

It is thought the thieves may have been stealing the meters to sell for scrap.

By Craig Hughes