STAIRLIFTS have replaced a broken lift in a block of flats after residents kept on getting trapped inside - but the weight limit means not everyone can use them.

The lift in flats at Brookthorpe Close in Warndon, is no longer working, making it hard for some disabled residents to get up and down the stairs.

Platform Housing has installed two stairlifts as a temporary measure until the lift is replaced. However, there is a 19-stone weight limit, meaning not everyone can use them. 

The lift, which residents say breaks down periodically, has now been out of action for over a month and some say it has not worked properly for the last six years. 

Worcester News: CONCERN: Rob Wilding, 65, pictured by the broken lift last month says he weighs too much to use the stairlift because of the 19 stone weight limit CONCERN: Rob Wilding, 65, pictured by the broken lift last month says he weighs too much to use the stairlift because of the 19 stone weight limit (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

One tenant, Rob Wilding, who has been stuck in the lift when it has broken down, said he could not use the stairlift because of the weight limit.

"The lift is still broken. I can't use the stairlift at all - so I have been walking up the stairs," said the 65-year-old who suffers from heart problems.

He has been stuck in the lift on two separate occasions, once released by firefighters and the second time managing to get himself out. 

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As previously reported, several people, some with serious health conditions, have been stuck inside the lift until firefighters let them out.

Other tenants are frightened to use the lift in case they get stuck.

When it breaks, those with serious mobility problems who cannot use the stairs said they were effectively 'prisoners in their own homes'.

Worcester News: WELCOME: Cllr Jill Desayrah tries out the stairlift at Brookthorpe Close in Warndon to make sure it works and has praised Platform for finding a temporary solution so quickly WELCOME: Cllr Jill Desayrah tries out the stairlift at Brookthorpe Close in Warndon to make sure it works and has praised Platform for finding a temporary solution so quickly (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

However, Cllr Jill Desayrah, who raised the issue with Platform Housing which manages the block, praised the organisation for how quickly they installed the lifts as a temporary solution.

She said: "In a month they have done it. It may not be perfect but it's something. It's really good news this stairlift has gone in so quickly."

Worcester News: WARNING: The sign by the stairlift in Brookthorpe Close warns of the weight limit WARNING: The sign by the stairlift in Brookthorpe Close warns of the weight limit (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Cllr Desayrah said the majority of residents she had spoken to seemed happy with the solution and described it as 'an example of Platform listening to tenants', keeping access open to them while the lift was replaced which she understands will take at least three months once work begins.

"The priority is still fixing the lift but this is a necessary precursor to them being able to do that. I have tried the stairlift myself and it's very comfortable and easy to operate. This stairlift may come out or they may leave it. That depends on how people feel about it once it's no longer an essential substitute," she said.

A spokesperson for Platform Housing said last month: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience to our customers, the lift will be replaced as soon as possible, in the meantime we will be installing temporary stairlifts.