Elderly residents in block of flats 'too scared to leave home' following issues with lift

• Residents from a block of flats in Southampton told Chlöe Oliver about the issues they have faced

People who live in a block of flats say they are worried about leaving their homes after repeated problems with the lift as well a new stairlift.

Some residents, aged between 50 and 102, at Linden Court in Hampshire were trapped over Christmas when the only lift in the building broke down.

In the last few weeks the lift has been fixed and a stairlift has been installed, but people have told ITV News Meridian they are too scared to use the lift in case it breaks down again.

They say because there is no handrail, people who lack mobility cannot move across the landing to get from one from stairlift to the other.

There are also no remote controls to access the stairlift, which is currently stranded halfway down the staircase.

Tom Proctor's father Frank turned 102 at the beginning of January and he worries about not only his ability to get down the stairs and to the world beyond, but also about his father's neighbours.

He said: “They’re scared to get into the lift as they know it could break down at any moment...Just like the period over Christmas, they’re still effectively trapped.”

Frank, who is an 102-year-old war veteran, had to be carried down the stairs in his wheelchair when the lift last broke down over Christmas and new year.

After spending the festive period alone because of the broken lift, friends and family gathered to make sure he could make it to his own birthday party.

Frank has 14 great grandchildren and was awarded the Burma Star medal for his work in the RAF during World War II.

• Janet Houghton was left badly hurt after she tripped coming out from the lift

Janet Houghton, who is in her 90s, has not left her apartment in days after she fell face first out of the lift when it did not stop level with the floor.

She suffered facial bruising and cuts to her knees.

Describing the experience, she told ITV News Meridian: "The doors opened as normal and I didn't notice that it wasn't quite level.

"I just went to walk straight out and caught my foot and it send me flying."

Steven Dennis, the chief executive of Saxon Weald, which owns and runs the building, said the company was going to install new handrails today as well as put remote controls onto walls.

In a statement, he said: “We act promptly whenever residents raise a safety concern. In this case, we only heard from a resident yesterday that they were worried about the stairlift and have already taken further action.

"We can confirm that the stairlifts have been installed by experienced professionals and meet all health and safety requirements.

"However, we are happy to provide a handrail to give residents extra support in crossing the small landing and this will be installed today.

"Four remote controls were provided, but these now appear to be missing. We were alerted of this yesterday and will be taking more controllers to the scheme today.

"We will secure them to the wall so that they cannot be lost or removed.

"We are very happy to arrange a demonstration for anyone who doesn’t feel confident in using the stairlift and will contact all residents to ask if they are interested.

"In the meantime, the lift at Linden Court is fully working, so residents have access to all floors.”

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