A heating engineer is offering free emergency repair for elderly people isolating through the coronavirus pandemic.

Winston Davis, 37, from Watford, said he wanted to help others after witnessing communities come together due to the outbreak.

The owner of Avenue Heating, which mainly operates in areas such as Bushey, Rickmansworth, Watford and Chorleywood began offering older people in isolation emergency heating repair, free of charge two weeks ago.

Those in the vulnerable category - including over-70s, pregnant women, people with pre-existing medical conditions - have been told by the Government to stay at home.

Mr Davis said: "You realise what it means to be in the community.

"They can't leave the house or go out and I thought about what I could do to help.

"For some older people, to have heating issues it can become a nightmare. If I don't charge them at least it is one thing off their minds."

Since he started offering the service, he has been on ten jobs where he has repaired emergency problems in the homes of elderly people.

He added: "You can contribute in little ways even if you phone someone up and speak to them. It makes the whole situation a lot easier.

"I'm getting a lot of pleasure out of what I'm doing."

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Mr Davis said for the moment he is not worried about his business but admitted he did see a drop since the Prime Minister's announcement about implementing stricter measures.

He said: "The next morning after the announcement I had four jobs all cancelled.

"But then I had big providers ringing me because they couldn't get workers out.

"I'm not worried about money for the moment, for me I have the kids at home and it is making sure they're safe and well."

Mr Davis said there is a risk as he is entering the homes of elderly people who are self-isolating but says he is needed to complete emergency work.

He said: "I have a young family so I don't want to pick anything up and bring it home and I also don't want to go in between houses and pass it on.

"But I think there are doctors and nurses who work on the front line with people who are dying because of the virus.

"If they can do their job, I can certainly go to houses where someone might have it."