Elderly residents 'trapped' in Portishead flats for weeks after lift breaks down

Theresa Hartell looks at the view from her fifth floor flat at Hanover House. Credit: ITV News

Elderly residents say they feel trapped inside their block of flats in Portishead after the building's only lift broke down.

They have been warned it may take until the end of the month until it is repaired.

Hanover House is a six-storey building with 30 one-bedroom flats designed for over-55s. Many residents have health and mobility issues.

Anchor - which manages the building - has installed a new stairlift and insists it is doing everything it can to fix the fault as quickly as possible.

Resident Theresa Hartell, 84, broke her foot last year and is still recovering. Ever since the lift stopped working on 16 December she has relied on family and friends to help get her down the five flights of stairs.

Ms Hartell said: "It's like being a trapped animal. I'm lucky I've had various people doing a bit of shopping for me. It's like I've got no purpose to my day anymore. That for me, mentally, is not good. I just can't live like this."

Another resident, who wants to remain anonymous, lives on the top floor and has multiple health issues. They struggles to walk up the stairs.

They said: "I feel very trapped. I'm crying at night. I'm coughing and weezing. I'm walking up and down. I'm not sleeping. I just feel like a road rat going around in circles in here."

Operations manager for Hanover House, Rowena Hindle, said: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused and are doing everything we can to resolve it as quickly as possible.

“A stairlift has been installed and the main lift is currently being repaired by the manufacturer and will be fixed as soon as it is delivered back to us.

“As soon as we were made aware the lift had broken down we immediately took action to support residents and resolve the matter.

"The local manager and area manager attended the site and spoke to residents and letters were provided to residents who were not home. We have continued to provide support to residents who have requested help and have asked residents to specify any further or additional support they may require. The wellbeing of our residents is paramount."