Broken lift leaves residents 'trapped in homes'

Resident Mary Hyland said there was 28 steps up to her flat

People living in a block of Devon retirement flats say they have been trapped in their homes for almost two weeks due to a broken lift.

Kings Garden Retirement Flats in Honiton, for over-55s, are run by Remus Management.

Top-floor resident Mary Hyland has lived in her flat for four years and said the lift had always been intermittent, adding: "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes you get stuck in it.”

Remus Management said an engineer attended the site on 26 September but found the lift could "no longer be repaired" and it was waiting for a replacement.

Remus Management said the lift could no longer be repaired

Ms Hyland said there were 28 steps up to her flat from the ground floor.

"There's been no help for people up here," she said.

"They (residents) can't get their groceries up and down, they can't get themselves up and down, they can't get their recycling out."

She said there were talks about a temporary stairlift, but nothing had happened yet.

"We moved here because of the lift, it is independent living, we are independent but we are older people and our knees have gone," she added.

"We're already a fortnight down the line of people being trapped in their home."

Resident Chris Duffin said he was unable to "get outside at all" due to the broken lift.

Dorothy Harris, who is waiting for a hip replacement, said there were three flights of stairs from her flat to the ground floor.

"It's a bit painful...so that's not easy," she said.

Remus Management said it had plans to install a "temporary stairlift until the replacement lift is available".

"Lifts are complex bits of machinery and take time to build to the structure of Kings Gardens," it said.

"Most lifts are built outside of the UK and are subject to delays on importation.

"We will do what we can to expedite this. However, it's unlikely that the new lift will be installed this side of Christmas."