Dedicated Dave still performing a vital service

“It’s the condenser,” he says. “A connection is kn***...sorry, on it’s last legs.

“I should be able to fix it...yeah, that’s got it!”

As he replaces the boiler cover, Dave adds: “You know what? I wasn’t meant to be here this week.

“I should have been in Vietnam, watching the F1 Grand Prix.

“First one ever in Vietnam. Trip of a lifetime. I was going with my son....”

With that, the boiler sparks into life.

Dave can move onto his next job in Woodhall Spa, a ‘million miles away’ from the thrills of spills of the racing circuit in Hanoi.

No wonder he’s sporting a wry smile as he packs his tool-bag.

Just to add to his angst, Dave and his son are struggling to get their money refunded.

“Philippine Airlines aren’t the easiest in the world to deal with,” he adds. “We’re struggling to get a refund but we’re not giving up.”

Dave has been a plumber for 35 years. He has run his own business - Lindsey Plumbing and Heating Engineers - for 21 of them..

He - and his five staff - offer a lifeline service to customers in the area...from repairing faulty boilers to tackling blocked drains.

While Covid-19 has impacted on everyone’s daily routine, it hasn’t stopped boilers breaking or pipes blocking up.

So, Dave - and his ‘team’ have carried on working - and they are doing a vital job.

“It is bizarre,” he says. “Going out and about, you hardly see anyone, very few cars. It’s like working on a Sunday every day.”

In the Wolds, where many villagers rely on oil-fired central heating - Dave is a familiar face.

He explains: “There’s not many plumbers around who can do oil systems.

“In fact, there aren’t many plumbers around at all and when this (Covid-19) is all over, I bet there won’t be anywhere enough of us.”

Dave reveals he’s just had his first request from a couple who needed a new boiler but had been laid off from work and wanted to ‘defer payment.’

He adds: “I was happy to help. What else could I do? It’s not very pleasant without heating and hot water.”

The Lindsey ‘team’ all have protective gear (PPE) and are careful to operate a two-metres apart policy although that can sometimes be difficult.

Dave adds: “Seeing a happy, smiling face when you’ve finished a job is what it is all about. It’s why I love my job.”