Retirees 'trapped' in flats due to broken lift

Thomas Fawcett's wife Jean is one of several residents who say they have not been able to leave their flats due to a lift which keeps breaking

Elderly residents of a block of flats say they feel like they are in a "prison" due to a lift which they claim has been broken for nearly 50 days this year.

Several people living in Alexandra Court in Southfields Road, Eastbourne, rely on the lift due to a variety of health and mobility issues.

They include Jean Fawcett, 80, who has been unable to leave her home for weeks at a time because she has Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other health conditions, while another 82-year-old man says he has been forced to go down the stairs backwards.

The retirement block is run by housing association Orbit. The company has apologised and said the lift will be fully replaced by April next year at the latest.

A sign put on the lift on Monday claiming the engineer did not have parts to repair the lift

The lift most recently broke down for two weeks at the beginning of June. Orbit said it took longer than it would have liked to fix the lift due to the "availability of parts".

'It's a nightmare'

Thomas Fawcett said: "The lift has been out of commission for well over 50 days in the last three months. Initially it broke down on 5 March and wasn't repaired until 29 March.

"It is a nightmare, Jean has missed several appointments with her specialist for her Parkinson's and her doctors," he said.

"She can't go down the three flights of stairs, mentally it's very stressful. Jean has Alzheimer's, she sometimes doesn't comprehend why she can't go out sometimes.

"We've shed one or two tears."

Hugo Rebaudo, 82, said: "It's stressful, I have gone down the stairs backwards a few times but it's dangerous because of my arthritis.

"Going back up the stairs is hard.

"It makes me feel very sad."

Chris Parrish is able to get outside but said it is still difficult with her health conditions

Chris Parrish, one of the residents, told BBC Radio Sussex: "We've got to the end of our tether, at the end of the day we are trapped. We feel like calling this a prison."

Ms Parrish said it was difficult due to a heart condition, asthma and arthritis to get down the one flight of stairs from her first-floor flat.

The 78-year-old added: "The lift is 35 years old, it has been declared obsolete. Every time they fix one part, another breaks down."

The lift last broke down on 11 June according to residents. The lift has now been fixed again.

An Orbit spokesperson said customers including Mr Fawcett were offered alternative accommodation while the lift was broken and have been providing residents with regular updates.

The spokesperson added: "While no customers have accepted this offer to date, it remains an open offer should any customers wish to accept."