Cripplegate House lifts allegedly broken for 'four days'

The lifts in the Cripplegate House building, on St Clement's Close, are not working, with residents and concerned family members calling on Platform Housing to resolve the situation.

Stephen Burton, a resident of Cripplegate House, said this has been happening over the last "four days".

He said: "The lifts are out and there are a lot of elderly residents who are trying to get to floors.

"It has been doing this for four days now. There is a resident who has been going door to door asking if any elderly residents need any shopping.

"Something needs to be done, this is not the first time it has happened either."

Craig Bourne, who has an elderly mother in the building, said he is concerned about how paramedics are going to be able to access high floors in the building.

He said:" My mother is 84 years old and has had to have paramedics visit for a variety of reasons linked to ill health.

"My concern is how are paramedics going to access the ninth floor of this building where my mum lives without the lifts.

"It just seems like the issue has not been taken seriously as this is not the first time this has happened."

Cllr Richard Udall, Worcester city and Worcestershire county councillor for St John's, said residents are "losing faith in the lifts".

He said: "It's extremely worrying that both lifts have broken down, I'm very concerned about the time it's taking to get them repaired. 

"Residents are losing faith in the lifts and are now worried about using them, it must have been a very frightening experience for the residents who had to be rescued from the lifts by the Fire Service."

READ MORE: Vesper GTS broken and nearly stolen on Raglan Street

Cllr Richard Udall outside of the Cripplegate House building. (Image: Cllr Richard Udall)

READ MORE: Over 300 catalytic converter thefts in West Mercia in 2022

Cllr Udall called on Platform Housing to resolve the situation in "an urgent message."

He said: "Platform Housing need to ensure the lifts are both working again and made safe, they also need to ensure those unable to leave their flats are contacted and helped.  Some residents are vulnerable and will need extra support.

"This morning I have written an urgent message to Platform Housing, asking them to ensure that extra staff are allocated to the flats to ensure residents trapped in the flats are safe and have all they need, like food, medicines and care."

A spokesperson for Platform Housing said the issue was due to a problem with the electrical supply.

They said: "We apologise to the residents for the inconvenience this has caused, unfortunately, there has been an intermittent problem with the electrical supply to the lifts. 

"We have notified the local fire service of the situation and have measures in place to provide additional support to our customers.  We are doing everything possible to rectify this situation."