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Biomass pipe caused Wick flat damage

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Safety checks will be carried out at scores of north homes after a man was scalded when a controversial community heating system burst under high pressure.

The incident happened in a housing association-owned block of flats in Caithness and the injured tenant had to be taken to hospital.

He was hurt when a flood of hot water from a boiler in a roof space caused a ceiling to collapse.

An investigation has now been launched and the two flats affected by the flood have been isolated from the community biomass heating system which supplies cheap hot water to about 200 homes.

Checks will be carried out at other houses connected to the system to make sure their pipes are safe.

The fire brigade said the ceiling of an Albyn Housing Society-owned properties in Wick’s Battery Road collapsed.

The injured man is understood to have been scalded by a torrent of hot water was taken by ambulance to the town’s Caithness General Hospital.

Ignis Biomass took over the running of the hot water system after the collapse of the controversial Caithness Heat and Power (Chap) organisation.

Highland Council is currently in the process of fitting biomass systems at a number of schools in the region.

Wick councillor Bill Fernie said: “The council will be very interested in the cause of this incident with the current project to instal biomass systems in schools.

“Safety is a big concern for any heating system and an incident like this a bit worrying.

“Certainly my thoughts are with the man who was caught up in this incident.”

Helen Barton, customer services director at Albyn Housing Society, said pipes in the surrounding properties would undergo safety checks.

She added: “We were alerted to the incident shortly after 9am this morning and our housing officer went to the area to support tenants.

“We have been working closely with the system managers, Ignis Wick Ltd, and the fire brigade to ensure the properties are safe and to identify the cause of the burst pipe.

“The district heating is still providing heating and hot water to all unaffected tenants connected to the system.

“We are currently assessing the extent of the damage as well as arranging for the pipework in the surrounding properties to be safety checked.

“Alternative accommodation will be provided for tenants for the duration of the repair.”

Ignis Biomass was unavailable for comment.

One fire appliance from Wick was sent to the scene and was there for three hours making the area safe.

The council created Chap as an arm’s length organisation in 2004 to provide wood-fired hot water to homes in Wick, with plans to sell surplus electricity to the National Grid.

But the local authority was forced to take over the scheme after four years amid mounting losses and technical problems.

The Account’s Commission’s final report on the debacle branded it an example to other local authorities of how not to run an arm’s length organisation after working out it cost the public purse £11.5million.

Private firm Ignis took over the district heating system in May 2012.

It currently supplies homes from its plant at Pulteney Distillery in the town.