Portsmouth Spinnaker Tower lift to be left in position

The tower's glass lift has not worked properly since the landmark opened in 2005

A glass lift on Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower will not be repaired, councillors have agreed.

The external lift has been broken since the 558ft (179m) Hampshire attraction opened in 2005 after a five-year delay.

The council had the option of removing or replacing the lift, but has opted to leave it in its present state.

The tower, which is the UK's tallest public building outside London, has an internal lift which can be used for emergency access.

Last month Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: "When it was first designed, it was absolutely vital because it was a means of firemen getting in and out of the tower, if there was a problem, and disabled access.

"What we have done over the last five years is to find alternative routes and so it's no longer needed either for fire access or for disabled access - we can do that with the other lift.

"There seems to be absolutely no point in spending more money on trying to get something to work which we tried to do for years. It is not a business-sensible decision to do."