home Fix label Heating label_important Home Heating Systems category Worcester

My worcester 28i Junior boiler is not working?

There is a flashing red light which flashes twice for every on flash of the blue light.

I have reset but to no avail - This started an hour before news years day with loud whistling noises coming from the boiler but it was still working.

I woke up at 3am to attend to my two children who were complaining that theyn were freezing to find it was now not working and was presented with the two flashing lights. I have reset and set the pressure which had fallen below 1 to between 1.5 and 2 and have still had no joy.

Any ideas.

Thanks

Barry Cochrane, January 2009

home Fix label Heating label_important Home Heating Systems category Worcesterdone

Try thishttp://youtu.be/g--EB8eL_sw

kevin chance, January 2014

Thanks to Richardgasman. My boiler keeps on showing the reset button flashing. Tried bleeding my radiator and even flashing it out but the symptom persist. Then I found all the responses on frozen pipes, but I wondered why, bcoz temperature is still not on freezing point, so I decided to try richardgasman's idea and.... It worked.

Foxddiyer, January 2014

my worcester 28i junior isnt working. the red centre light is permanent on and blinking occasionally, the central heater is not heating,but boiler comes on. red lights shows. no green light is on. what do i do?

kc, March 2013

My Worcester Greenstar Ri had the same problem. My service engineer said just drop the reservoir down from under the pump and place a bowl or similar receptacle under the white pipe where the condensation water exits the boiler. Empty it periodically. When the outside temperature rises and the outside pipe thaws, replace the reservoir.
The reservoir fits over two screws at the back of the cupboard. Push the reservoir firmly backwards to lift it off the screws.
January 2013

Robert Towers, January 2013

I recently set the timing system up to come on early morning and evening for my two little ones as it starts to get cold. The system was fine for a few days but has now started flashing with a fault and i have no hot water and no central heating? we had the pressure switch replaced but the pressure seemed fine to me as it was always at 1 bar. it did work for a day but has now stop working again?

Ian, October 2012

If the condensate is not blocked the could still be the syphon/trap inside the boiler blocked with aluminium deposits.. This has to be cleaned out at a service, if its not done for 2 to 3 years it blocks and you get the same symptoms as the frozen condensate pipe

Richardgasman, January 2011

Our outside condensing pipe is 12 ft long and 32 mm wide and some days has frozen solid; so for the past fortnight we have been taking it apart and taking the ice out daily. Once it gets to -4 it starts to freeze up. I know of at least 6 people locally with the same problem. It means we cannot leave our house for even a weekend in the winter in case of a cold snap. Rang plumber who fitted system 2 years ago who told us we would have to pay to have pipes re-routed inside. How does that work? Pay plumber hundreds of pounds for new CH system which stops working when it gets cold; so pay him more money to put it right! These condensing boilers must be as good as a Pension Fund for plumbers.

Winter Chill, December 2010

The kettle trick worked a treat on my 28i. Thanks very much

Stu, December 2010

42 cdi, many kettles and attempts tryinfg to warm the pipes with hairdryer we disconnected the pipe, placed a bucket underneath and now AH boiler working. Finally after a hellish day we have hot water and heating. Good luck to all this winter.

FU, December 2010

Very similar symptoms: Gurgling, blue light flashing slowly, red light flashing quickly, no hot water. Reset a few times but same problem coming back. Tried hot water on outside white pipe a few times. Has worked in the past but not today - I think just too cold and probably water frozen in pipe going through outside wall. Losing hope until Angela Steatham's suggestion of finding grey flexible pipe (slide panel on bottom of boiler forward and find it in bottom of boiler on left) - so disconnect grey pipe from white pipe and leave it hanging and put a bucket underneath. Now working and I can reconnect to white pipe when it warms up outside. Hooray! Thanks to Angela.

Suhada, December 2010

Well its been said already but, thank you so much.. I am disabled and on my own all day while my wife is at work. My worcester was playing up. Searched for a solution forum and this poped up. Disabled I may be but thick I am not, I looked in my drain where the condensate piped disappeared. Saw the ice, boiled the kettle, poured over the ice. Waited ten minutes. Reset my boiler and bingo. Not only fixed my problem but made me feel better too. And save me money. You guys are fanatstic. Thanks (pete)

mrtash, December 2010

Locate the grey plastic flexible pipe next to the white pipe which goes outside and unplug it, let it run into a bowl and press reset - hey presto - working boiler again! Then, leave like this until better weather and get your plumber to lag so that condensate pipe doesn't freeze again. Good luck - this should save you a fortune on emergency plumbers - just remember to keep emptying the bowl regularly...

Angela Steatham, December 2010

this piece of crap freezes EVERY time the temp drops pipe double lagged etc what idiot thought this system up?my pipe froze and hot kettles etc didn't work put hot water bottle on pipe where it goes into outside wall and the ice inside the pipe burst the pipe where it goes outside so have now put pipe into bucket in cupboard where boiler is at least no more freezing
worcester should take a good look at their design IT IS CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RITA B, December 2010

sick of condisate pipe freezing even though pipe double lagged, so as a last resort shoved outside pipe into an empty plastic bottle and for the first time pipe did not freeze last night!! is there any harm is this till i can change pipe in spring?

RITA, December 2010

Hello there, looks like we have got the same problem with our 28i. the trouble is i cannot find the condenser outlet. all the pipes in there are copper.please help...

Cornelia, December 2010

ive had no heating since yesterday and the reset light is flashing,temp has been -5 so i read that it must be a frozen pipe,the white plastic one which goes through the wall and runs down,if it has plastic removeable ubend take the pipe off and pour boiling water down there otherwise pour a few kettle fulls of water all over the plastic pipe and the ice should melt

leights, November 2010

In response to a couple of the many answers below and in preparation for winter 2010/2011...
Please be aware that you should NOT cut a condensate pipe so that it terminates inside your house into a bucket etc. The condensate pipe forms part of the flue system which means that you could potentially end up with combustion products entering your house. In the worst case scenario this could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning which is far more unpleasant than having to repeatedly thaw out your condensate pipe, so don't risk it and get boiling that kettle!

Swiss Tony, October 2010

our boiler keep stopping heat water and red light is coming up,after when is reset starts working for few minutes and then is same story

Jo, October 2010

You can stop a condenser pipe freezing by using a self regulating heating cable, such as Elektra SelfTEC. It only operates when the temp is low and will stop the condenser pipe from freezing

PJRICH, January 2010

I have a ferroli optimax 25 c which has stopped working, flashing up fault 26. My boiler man said it was frozen condense pipe and to pour boiling water on it. Trouble is, the boiler is located upstairs and the pipe is about 20' long with 5 bends! Boiling water, hairdryer and hot water bottles on the bits i can reach isn't working! Does anyone know if F26 could be something other than frozen pipes?

Kath, January 2010

finally after a few days our boiler kicked back into action!!!!! Don't give up because eventually you'll defrost the pipe. We got hot towels and wrapped them on the pipe indoors and that did the trick.

Frosty, January 2010

Frozen condesor pipe? Save yourself a lot of time and effort.Do what I did after getting some good advise and a tip from a plumber friend .If you have sufficient space under the boiler,locate the condensor pipe and cut throught it at a convenient spot just before it goes out of the wall.Place a funnel and bucket under the severed pipe to catch the water drips.Empty the bucket regularly !You can then tackle the job to replace the 22mm pipe with a larger 32mm size when you have the time and warmer weather.Good Luck stay warm.

AlWindward, January 2010

I am so grateful to this advice!! Our house was down to 7 degrees and my 5 year old son was not happy! I looked at where the pipe left the boiler and ran by the stairs and comes out just above the front door. It is a small pipe indoors, but a larger one outside and it had frozen at the bend where the small pipe ends. I could hear the ice cracking and falling down the pipe and i just followed it with boiling water until it came out the end. It took about 6-7 kettles.

Emma, January 2010

my 42cdi had same problem, phoned plumber who told me to switch on and off, it didnt work, tried to contact him after that but turned phone off (joey). Prayed too God, read the thread, 2 boiling kettles on the pipe outside and hey presto, a quiet working boiler, Alhamdullilah.

Sob, January 2010

Experienced engineer willing to answer your questions. Hate seeing people in cold. especially now.. Will do what i can to help.. thanks

Steve J, January 2010

Hey guys, Engineer here. Been working flat out last few days and 75% of problems have been condense pipes. Please persist and you'll get there. Best way to know if its not working is too blow up the pipe. If you can't do this, its frozen...

STEVE JAMES, January 2010

i had the same prob last year with mine and my plumber came round and cut the pipe short (so less area to freeze) but this week its frozen every day and i have to get on a ladder and defrost witha cettle of water . it is only freezing the last 2 inches if the pipe so thats all i try and defrost as soon as i do that where is a masive gush os water where its all backed up.

my pipe is lagged and its no help i think . really dont know what im going to do tbh

thanks to all for the input

Tony H, January 2010

had the same problem 3 times this week with external condensate pipe freezing today my gas mate decided to re root the condensate pipe from the boiler to the bathroom sink until the weather gets warmer ,just need to keep the cat away from the sink as he likes dripping water and it is very acidic ,thats why the water has to go down plastic pipes because it corodes copper pipes ,lifes such a learning curve!

nick the valet, January 2010

Just tried the remedy of letting the hot water tap run, then starting the boiler up and voila it worked hurah! Have been trying to pour hot water on outside pipes but it wasnt doing much, so many thanks to Barry for the tip ^_^

Mu, January 2010

had the same prob,worcester bosch not even answering phone calls. couldnt do the kettle thing as boiler is upstairs in bathroom airing cupboard so couldnt reach pipes outside. we got a hacksaw and cut the plastic condensate pipe and put a bucket underneath. water gushed out for a few seconds but is fine now. reset boiler and its worked. going to leave bucket in place under boiler to catch drips until the weather improves then will reconnect pipe. nice and warm again.

vicky., January 2010

Hi all, this solved my problem on ferroli 25c combi boiler, thanks to all those who took time to write this forum you saved us all a packed..

happy new year !!!

Raymond, January 2010

Sitting here with the same problem (3am). Had the same problem twice last year. Thinking of adding a T piece from the condensation pipe with a tap on. When it gets cold enough to freeze outside, turn on the tap into a container inside, so it doesn't need to run outside. Does this sound reasonable?

Taz, January 2010

my sisters has done the same she rang a plumber and he said its the pipe half way up the house outside, she cant do anything til tomorrow, as needs ladders and her husband away on business in london, he told her to just leave boiler til tomorrow it would be ok, it was making a noise as if the pump wanted to work and now leaking a lot of water in the drip tray, has she done rite to turn the water off at the mains and the boiler off at the mains til the morning
helpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

toni, January 2010

yup was hanging on the phone to brit gas come across this page whilst waiting, boiler was gurgling and was flashing reset light but would not fire up. hung up phone 5 kettles of hot water over the outside plastic condensation pipe in the snow and ice and the boiler and hot water sprang back into life. this pipe generally runs from the back left bottom corner of these boilers . thanks to all you guys who posted.

phil, January 2010

I have just used this fantastic advice to cure a F1 error messgae on Ferroli Maxima 35C. Had to follow pipe back up about 5 meters with a hairdrier, but problem solved for the moment.

Thanks all posters (heating co. had given me same advice, but wanted second opinion as boiler troubleshooting guide suggested it was a gas fault!!! - thanks Ferroli for nothing)

Warm in Brum, January 2010

The Worcester site does have info on this:

http://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/homeowner/customer-service/common-winter-boiler-enquiries

Stead, January 2010

Just had the same problem on our 37dci. Popped out for a couple of hours came back to a flashing EA status and loud rumblings and the sound of water sloshing as others have described.

Stuck a hot water bottle on the pipe outside where it comes out of the house and poured a kettle over the bend and the rest of the plastic pipe.

Voila the boiler came back to life and hot water and heating has returned! :)

Thanks to all for the advice :-]

DJ PHILLY M, January 2010

Thanks for this thread! You've helped me become a hero in my Mum's eyes by sorting the same problem out! She contacted British Gas who couldn't get an engineer out for 5 days, and without a working fire, the boiler is the main source of heat and hot water so as you can imagine she was quite upset at the prospect of temperatures dropping to -16c here in Manchester.

So once again, thanks guys!

James D'Sausages, January 2010

i have the same frozen pipe issue but this is made worse by me living in a flat and the pipe outside cannot be reached without a very long ladder which i don't have. Anything we can do from inside?
any suggestions welcome. we;re freezing and this happens every year when temps reach below 0. Worcester don't care and british gas are overstretched!

thanks

julie, January 2010

24 hours without our boiler.... trying to unfreeze the pipe!!! I am sure a polar bear just ran past me in my living room. brrrrrrrr

Frosty, January 2010

Thanks Susan... youve given us hope.... we've been at it for ages with the same problem..... hopefully soon it'll clear and we'll get some warmth in this igloo of a house again!!

frosty, January 2010

My advice is to persist- its taken me 8 hours of pouring boiling kettles/ surrounding the condensating pipe with hotwater bottles and leaving an electric heater on, with the boiler gurgling and making a noise like the bowels of a ship when suddenly a sliver of ice and water started flowing out of the end of the pipe. Thank god, as there are no plumbers available- they are all out sorting out Worcester boilers and probably making a fortune!!

Susan, January 2010

Thanks to this forum I also have had the same problem fingers crossed fixed for now.

lee watson, January 2010

Thank goodness for this thread. Came home at lunchtime to find the house freezing, and the reset(red) and power(blue) buttons flashing on our Worcester Greenstar Junior combi boiler.

We tried to clear the iced in the external section using kettles of hot water and although we could hear the ice cracking the boiler still would fire up.

Just in case anyone else is in the same position, have a look inside the house and see if you have access to the pipe there as well.

Although our external pipe was plastic the section of pipe coming out from the boiler was copper and to aid the thawing process I directed some heat on to that section nearest the wall and this must have been just the extra help it needed to thaw as 15 minutes later I tried the boiler again and the ignition light stayed on.

Jo, January 2010

I have had the freeze up problem and cleared the condensate pipe. Tried resetting and at first the boiler went through all the reset motions but then the red light started flashing again. Now the reset button will not start a reset at all. Any suggestions

Alan, January 2010

i have the same problem with a junior 28i, reset it and get all the rumblings etc.
i e-mailed bosch, and they recommend to turn up the heating temp on the boiler. that will help in 2 ways, there will be less condensation from the boiler, and any condensaton produced will be warmer, thus minimising that chances of it freezing.
that's what they said anyway, it sounds good in theory, hope it works in practice

keith, January 2010

just fixed the same prob! You guys were spot on! kettle or two of boiled water over external condensing pipe. You could hear to ice crackling inside same. Hit the reset button and the boiler sprang into life again! The display flashes as the number rises until the boiler restarts. Went back out in the freezing fog (-10!) and lagged the pipe with bits of old hand towel and covered it in a couple of bin bags and a lot of selotape (all I had). Going back inside for well deserved cup of tea and to let my fingers thaw!

Claire, January 2010

I connected condensate pipe to internal plumbing - which is at least 32mm diameter - no freezing up unless your outside drain freezes 0ver and upto pipe.

eddie, January 2010

spent all night pouring hot water over the pipe and had a hot water bottle on the part of the pipe that is indoors.... boiler still not firing up. Gonna phone the plumber tomorrow :(

frosty, January 2010

I'm also having similar problems- we have an Worcester 24i (I think its the RSF) Combi boiler.
I knew literally nothing about boilers until tonight when ours decided to not work.
It was making all the usual noises but nothing was heating up, so then we realised the pressure had dropped to zero. We increased the pressure back to about 1 bar and reset it by switching it from the off setting to the maximum setting- and although it started making a noise it still didnt get hot.
Our boiler doesnt have a plastic condenser pipe-it does howevever have a metal pipe that is not lagged the goes from underneath the far left of the bolier directly downwards and then to outside. Do you think this is our condenser pipe? Looking at a manual i've managed to find on the internet it seems to say this is a safety discharge pipe, is that the same thing??
If anyone could help I'd really appreciate it as I really don't want to have to call someone out :o(
Thanks

Charlie, January 2010

We are suffering from the same problem. I have spoken to our plumber who has advised us to pour boiling water over the pipe as others have suggested. He says this is a common issue and the boiling water should sort it out.

abbey, January 2010

Fantastic thread! I Had an icicle coming out the end of my condensing pipe. poored a kettle of hot water on it and all working again fine. THANKYOU!

Lee Stockport, January 2010

We are similarly in the same boat. Brand new 28i Junior fitted 2 weeks ago and it has just packed in due to condendding pipe. Pouring water over it, fingers crossed!

Rachel, January 2010

Having exactly the same problem right now with mine. Boiler packed in about 2 hours ago. After reading various sites it seems to point to the same problem of a frozen pipe. We're on with trying to thaw it out but so far the boiler won't reset and gurgles then we get the two lights flashing again. This seems to be a common problem when temps go minus outside!!!!

Frosty, January 2010

I have just had exactly the same symtoms... pressure droped a little (topped it back up), flashing lights, the gurgling, the dull banging noise etc... all sorted now with 2 kettles over the condensation pipe outside the kitchen window (the lazy fitter who installed it has obviously never heard of pipe lagging!!!).
We had -6 last night so i can only imagine it is the extreme weather that is causing so many people to have this same problem.

Colin, January 2010

Heating was off, and the 24i Junior Boiler was gurgling this morning, took of the cover, could see the reservoir for the condensation pipe was backing up, hot water on the frozen pipe outside, the levels changed, and all done! Boiler now ignites, nice one guys!

Cold Geeza, January 2010

Just had exactly the same fault, kept switching on and off, bleed all the rads, some of which actually needed it, lots of noise and flashing lights.
Checked on here and there was the answer, one kettle of water on the outside condensate pipe and Robert is your mothers brother, all working quietly now but too late to go back to bed.
Praise be to broadband.

Tony Chamberlin, January 2010

If it has a small plastic pipe coming from it on the lefy hand side that is then ran outside into a drain then that is frozen, hot water poured over the pipe or use a hairdrier especially where it comes through the wall and see if it thaws. This pipe must be A. lagged when outside and B the pipe must run downhill as steeply as possible away from the boiler to stop water from gathering and then freezing.
If you have the servicing/installation instructions read the section about the condensate pipe.

Gordon, January 2010

just had a problem with ours, unblocked the and defrosted the pipe outside. is it best to turn it off then reset it or just reset it, and does it need time to drain off????? what does the spanner button do?

rich, December 2009

my did this last new years day so this year I have just left the heating on "ON" PERMANENTLY using the remote thermostat to control the temperature but it's done it again how rediculous that a top of the range boiler cuts out when it's needed most, going to send hubby upto the roof with some boiling water haha

amanda, December 2009

I am another sufferer with a frozen condensate pipe.

Remedy I am trying at the moment is:

I got an empty Beach plastic bottle.

Cut half-moon out of the base.

Pushed the neck of the bottle over the condensate pipe—it is a good tight fit. Use a lubricant if necessary.

The theory is: The evacuating condensation is within a more enclosed exit. So far I have not insulated the plastic bottle but will if necessary.

The outside temperature was below freezing last night—no trouble.

Failing the above to continue to be a success, I am going to re-route the pipe in the loft.

Bring it through the ceiling in my bathroom, fix it to the interior wall, drill a small hole near the floor, continue the pipe outside where it will be over a drain, then extend the pipe down into the trap.

Robert "Heath Robinson", January 2009

no red light coming on when boiler switched on sounds like its working but no hot water or heating

peter room, January 2009

It is the frozen condensation pipe but it does not have to be outside! Done mine today for the 4th time but this time it had frozen where the pipe comes out of the house. Had to cut the 21.5mm pipe inside the airing cupboard and pour hot water from a kettle via a funnel down the pipe to melt the ice from inside until flowing freely! Then just added a 22mm push fit with 15mm t-piece with a radiotar drainjust in case it happens again!

Neil, January 2009

My worcester 30si has been doing something very similar. I had a plumber out this morning who said it was frozen outside condenser pipe - he thawed it with a blow torch and I've just added lagging. Seems to have helped so far - will just have to see if it continues to do a job in these sub-zero temperatures!

AD, January 2009

Had this exact problem this morning solved with the boiling water. Thanks very much as have a 2 year old and a 3 month old now in a warm house 2 hours after boiler went out rather than waiting all day in cold and forking out for an engineer. Off to wickes now to get some pipe lagging!

DMC, January 2009

When the boiler is not in use ... turning the CH temperature control on the boiler down to the * mark ensures that if the temperature falls to 5 deg. C. the boiler will automatically fire up to avoid the possibility of freezing.

John Bailey, January 2009

Had the exact same problem with Worcester Greenstar 28CDI boiler refusing to ignite in very cold weather. Discovered the article below on the Worcester website - sounds like there's a known problem with the condenser pipe freeezing in cold weather. http://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/homeowner/customer-service/common-winter-boiler-enquiries Our condenser pipe was frozen solid with ice where it rang alongside the outside wall to the drain - fixed the problem by splitting the pipe at a join and pouring hot water down it. Will have to look at lagging it to prevent it happening again, glad I managed to sort it without paying through the nose for a heating engineer though...

Phil, January 2009

We had the same problem with our boiler, the condensing pipe that is outside was frozen.. just poured a kettle of boiling water over it to defrost it and reset the boiler, seems to be working fine now!

EP, January 2009

I copy Barry's good news.
It's been off all day today,
tried it a few times ... and no joy
... making a horrendous noise
dull banging whoofs
and curious sounds of water sloshing about.

Don't see how it could be the overpressure line
frosting up ... mine's pretty well lagged

It's in a coldish utility room and so
I left a convection heater pointed
in its general direction for three hours ... et voila!

Going to take my parka and ear muffs off
and try on a new swiming cozzy.
:)

Without sharing with you all
my wife would have had every fitter
from here to Kurdistan worrying needlessly at it.

Don't know what the long term answer is, but
I've got the electronic three-period timer
and am setting it to come on in the early hours
for an hour, hoping this keeps it from stalling again.
We're in for some pretty cold weather shortly
... or so today's equivalent of Michael Fish tells me.

Sometimes they're right.

Cheers, fellows.
Happy New Year.
John

John Bailey, January 2009

Try an run your hot water tap after resetting - what happens?

Barry, January 2009

I logged the original question and since its fired back up having defrosted the pipes its piping hot and I now have a warm happy family - Definatley dont call anyone out just yet - If it persists, I would suggest you do though unless anybody has any better advice.

Barry, January 2009

Mine is doing exactly the same. I don't want to call someone out if it's just frost, it's never happened before and i've had it three years.

andy, January 2009

Its strange the same problem has arisen 3 times on this forum, maybe it is a problem with the frost and will keep my fingers crossed it will sort itself out. I tried pouring boiling water over the pipe outside but to no effect.

s, January 2009

i am having the exact same trouble, it seems the boiler will not fire up, then flashes the reset button. I have looked on Worcs website and found nothing to help me. I am assuming its something to do with the frost as its about -6. The firm who fitted my boiler has now gone out of contact/business so I am afraid I dont even have a warranty, i just hope it fixes itself somehow when it warms up a bit

s, January 2009

Mine's done exactly the same thing

... ominous rumblings and unusual sounds
of water circulating when it's lighting up

stays lit for about four seconds and then craps out
reset light and power light flashing the same as yours

hasn't fixed itself yet, we're in Chester
maybe the temperature is still too low for
the overpressure pipe to have defrosted

keeping my fingers crossed
... it's been a really great trouble free
little boiler up to this point

thank you everyone for your kind support
Regards, John

johnB, January 2009

It is Frost - we have just had dinner at a relatives and left it as it was, come back and fired it up and its working fine now, bled all my radiators and everything is now fine.

Thanks for all the advice - Didnt need to boil the kettle though as the temp has risen to -1 so it looks like things are thawing out following the -6 temperature last night.

Barry, January 2009

s, January 2009

perhaps the pipe that goes from the boiler to the outside is frozen.boil a kettle and defrost it .hope it works it did for me

ian, January 2009

your pumps u/s

its cooking off and going to overheat

corgi bloke, January 2009

it could be air in the heat exchange or the pump needs
replacing

b, January 2009

What do you suggest? I'm probably best calling someone out - just dont want to do so if its something simple.

Barry, January 2009

well if the burner lights up the fan must be running.
so it seems like circulation.

b, January 2009

Just tried again and its making a right racket, seems as if something is blocked, checked outside and you can hear the noise through the vent outside quite loud like a gurgling sound, this goes on for 20 seconds before the lights flash on again

Barry, January 2009

Not sure, when I reset, you can here the water boiling really noisely and then it goes straight to the fault flashes again.

Barry Cochrane, January 2009

is the fan and pump running

b, January 2009

link Click here to see other fixes for Worcester.