A mother has thanked The Argus and a kind-hearted engineer for restoring hot water to her home.

Carol Wareham's boiler broke down a month ago and she was told she would have to pay £1,000 for a replacement.

But after The Argus featured her plight earlier this month, self-employed engineer Dave King stepped forward to fix the boiler for free.

Mrs Wareham, of Old Shoreham Road, Southwick, pleaded with social security staff for an emergency loan to replace the broken boiler.

She was told she would have to make do with boiling kettles and heating water on the stove.

But Mr King, of Hollingdean, said the cost of replacement parts for the boiler came to just £20.61.

He said: "I just wanted to look at it and see if I could help. It was my pleasure. That boiler should last another ten years now."

Mrs Wareham, whose ten-year-old daughter Hayley suffers from a form of autism, said: "I'm so grateful to Mr King and the Argus for helping me.

"Otherwise I'd still be here crying. It's so easy to take hot water for granted. It's such a pleasure to enjoy a hot bath again."