A PREGNANT mother-of-two claims she was told to book into a hotel after battling in vain for a week to get an electricity supply connected to her new home.

Last Monday, Joanna Stuart, of Spennymoor, asked British Gas to supply electricity and gas to the home in Yorkhill Crescent, which she moved into at the weekend.

But despite receiving a key card to get gas, she was not given an electricity card. And although she was told she would be sent one by the time she moved into her new home, she had received nothing by Saturday.

Miss Stuart, who is seven months pregnant and has daughters aged two and 11, said: "I rang British Gas again on Saturday and told them I would have no heat or light in my new house, but all they could say was it would take another 48 hours to get me a card, even though they had a week's notice.

"When I asked them how I could cope in the dark and cold with my children, they suggested I booked into a hotel until the card arrived, but I can't afford that."

Just hours before she was due to move into her new home, The Northern Echo contacted British Gas, which worked with Northern Electric to resolve Miss Stuart's problem.

A spokesman for British Gas said the £25 fee usually charged for the emergency service would be waived because of the circumstances, and an electricity card would be sent by recorded delivery.

Miss Stuart said: "I am grateful to The Northern Echo for helping me, but it shouldn't have taken so long to get sorted."