Council apology for faulty Barking tower block lifts

Residents of Jute Court have complained of being trapped in lifts and suffering asthma attacks from having to climb several flights of stairs

A council has apologised to its residents for failing to fix broken lifts in an eight-storey block of flats.

The London Fire Brigade has been called to Jute Court in Barking, east London, eight times in the last year to rescue tenants trapped in faulty lifts.

One resident said the situation had left tenants "crippled".

Barking and Dagenham Council said it was looking at "different engineering solutions" to the problem.

The five-year-old block, which includes 64 flats, has two lifts, one of which has been frequently out of order for three years.

The other lift has also broken down regularly and since 2 August, both have been permanently broken.

On Tuesday residents staged a protest outside Town Hall in Barking to present a letter to the council detailing these problems.

Jute Court residents handed a letter to Barking and Dagenham Council detailing the problems with the lifts

Princilla John, who organised the protest, said the broken lifts have "crippled" the block's community.

She told BBC Radio London: "Eight floors is not easy to climb when you have your shopping, parcels, or babies.

"My elderly friends and family haven't been able to visit me for a whole month."

Single mother Habibah Iftikhar said she had asthma attacks after carrying her disabled daughter up and down the stairs to her seventh floor flat.

Single mother Habibah Iftikhar has to carry her disabled daughter to her seventh floor flat

Fellow resident Christina Williams said she was stuck in the lift with her six-year-old son for almost an hour.

The fire brigade started charging the council after three call-outs, and so far the authority owes about £1,800.

Robert Overall, director of MyPlace at the council, said: "We apologise to the residents because we have struggled to maintain both lifts in operation consistently for a period of time."

The authority said in a statement it was waiting for parts to arrive from Spain and that it has put in place concierge staff to help people with anything they need to carry up the stairs.

It added it would update residents within a week.