TENANTS living in Worcester’s high rise flats have been told they have no choice but to switch from gas to electricity.

Worcester Community Housing (WCH) is removing the gas supply to 21 high rise homes in Cripplegate House, Henwick House and Severn House in St John’s on Monday, October 11.

But one resident has called the move “disgraceful” and has said she does not want her gas cooker removed because she is scared of electric cookers.

Susan Miles, aged 57, of Severn House, suffers from seizures and said she is terrified of using electricity following a bad shock some years ago.

“I’m petrified of electric, we moved to this flat on the understanding it had gas,” she said.

“I don’t like electric but we’ve been told we will have it and that’s the end of it.

“There were no discussions, it was just dictated to us. We haven’t got a choice.

“I think it’s disgraceful.”

The move comes as part of the local landlord’s drive to maintain and improve home and customer safety.

WCH is promising to install and cover the costs of new standard electric cookers to affected customers as a replacement to their existing gas hobs.

But Mrs Miles said the £300 on offer for the new electric cooker is much less than she paid for her gas cooker.

She said: “My cooker cost a lot more than what they’re offering.

“I expect the cost of running an electric cooker will be more expensive too.”

Di Smith, head of customer services and involvement at WCH, said: “We have taken a long hard look at fuel supplies to high rise homes and have talked to other landlords with similar homes.

“As a result we have decided that the safest power supply for the future would be electricity.

“Gas usage in our high rise homes is already very low and work has already started to phase gas out.

“We are now stepping up work to remove gas supplies completely and to help customers make the switch to electric.”

A spokesman for Energy watchdog Consumer Focus said: “It’s up to the individual local authority and the decision could be based more on the ability to evacuate people if there was a problem than the safety of gas itself.

“Electricity isn’t the only option for the local authority or housing association to consider. A block of flats could have a communal, gas-fired boiler for example.”

WCH will also be hosting coffee mornings to help customers understand more about the switch to electricity, why it is happening and how it will happen.

For more information, contact WCH on 01905 670200.