Broken lift leaves disabled boy's mum 'exhausted'

Alexander uses a manual and an electric wheelchair to get around

The family of a disabled boy living on the fifth floor of a block of flats in Romford say they are "exhausted" after having no functioning lift for more than three months.

Four-year-old Alexander has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a genetic condition which is a type of motor neurone disease, and uses both a manual and an electric wheelchair to get around.

Since 5 April when the lift broke, his mother Victoria has had to carry him and his 18-month-old brother up the stairs several times a day to reach their flat.

The management company Sanctuary, a not-for-profit housing association, said it was "working hard to resolve what is a complex repair".

The family has been in constant contact with the building's management company

Alexander loves to visit the playground close to his home with his brother, but since the lift broke more than 15 weeks ago they can not play outside as often.

Their mother Victoria said: "Because Alexander doesn't bear weight on his own... I pick him up from the car and then I have to grab Laurence and double-lift them.

"And then obviously once you're up, you can't really go anywhere which is such a shame because if the lift was working you could pop out."

She has to do this largely on her own because the children's father Eric works abroad four days a week.

The electric wheelchair Alexander uses weighs 25kg and the manual one is 10kg.

Eric said they are "chunky pieces of equipment and unfortunately we can't get them up the stairs".

Victoria bought the flat when the building was completed in 2016.

The family would like to move somewhere more suitable for their son but there is an unresolved cladding issue, which makes the flat difficult to sell.

In effect, they are trapped - in more ways than one.

The children play outside less often since the lift in their building broke

Alexander's parents said they have been in constant contact with the building's management company Sanctuary.

Eric understands that lifts are very technical and potentially difficult to repair but feels the process has been mismanaged.

He said that no one from Sanctuary has come on site to assist the repairs.

"Several engineers have visited. 13 weeks in, we had an engineer that came thinking it was a callout for a first day lift outage, without having all the history."

A spokesperson for Sanctuary apologised for the "disruption and inconvenience" caused.

They added: "We are working hard to resolve what is a complex repair, and we're committed to bringing the lift back into service as quickly as possible."

But it is a frustrating process for the residents, most of whom pay a service charge to the management company.

Eric said: "We have, as leaseholders, no rights to challenge that entire process. Ultimately the leaseholder is paying for all the repairs so why can't we have a say in this and why can't we push for a quick resolution?"

The situation has become critical for this family because Alexander is having a serious operation to fit pins in his hips.

Eric said the recovery will leave his son with "bruising, scars, pain - and we're not allowed to carry him".

The family faces having to pay for alternative accommodation - and there is still no timeframe for the lift being repaired.