A TRADESMAN went above and beyond the call of duty when the leak in a frail pensioner’s house he was called to fix turned out to have an unusual source.
Kind-hearted Jason Ashton discovered the leak, which had spread through several rooms of the house, was coming from the 93-year-old man’s catheter.
But rather than picking up his tools and saying this was not a job for him, Jason fixed the problem with the Edinburgh man’s catheter and stayed to ensure the man and his house were clean.
His bosses have praised his actions and say he is “Scotland’s kindest-hearted tradesman”.
Jason was on call for home emergency repair firm First Call Home Assist last month when he received a call after midnight about a flooding incident.
The elderly man was so concerned he had initially dialled 999 to call police about the problem, who passed on the issue to First Call Home Assist as they manage the property out of hours.
The pensioner said the leak was running through the hall, kitchen and bedroom of his house, in the Peffermill area of the city.
Jason, 38, turned up to discover a distressed 93-year-old man who believed there was a leak running through the hall, kitchen and bedroom of his house.
It was only on closer examination that he found the leak was coming from the elderly man’s catheter.
Jason, from Mayfield in Midlothian, said: “Once I realised there wasn’t a water leak, there was no way I was going to walk out the house leave the man in that state.
“I suppose I’m maybe of the ‘old school’ who always want to do the right thing to help out people when they are in a bit of distress.
“I’m also always had a soft spot when it comes to helping out old people.
“In many ways I was glad to be able to solve the problem so quickly as a real leak could have been much more distressing for an old man.”
Jason has worked with First Call Home Assist for five years, and said while he’s had to deal with numerous household problems, this one was by far the strangest.
Paul Greaves, managing director of Edinburgh-based First Call Home Assist, said: “I think there are plenty of tradesmen who would have quickly done an about-turn when they discovered what the problem was and said this was not a job for them.
“But Jason typifies what is means to show great customer service by going way over and above what is expected.
“He’s certainly Scotland’s most kind-hearted tradesman as far as I’m concerned.
“And it shows how being with First Call Home Assist means you are not just in safe hands, but we make sure you are well looked after – whatever the problem.”
The company provides emergency cover for a number of businesses and organisations in the Edinburgh and East Central Scotland area.
