Bank Holiday plans were ruined for dozens of people in Stamford Hill when both lifts in their 15-storey council block broke – leaving them stuck for two days.
Tenants and homeowners at Lincoln Court in Bethune Road couldn’t get down from their flats on the higher floors, while others couldn’t get up to them.
The health and safety nightmare was almost made worse when one elderly woman had a fall. But luckily she didn’t need hospital treatment, so paramedics didn’t have to carry her down seven flights of stairs.
The lifts broke on Good Friday, and were not fixed until the Sunday. Rosalyn Simons, 79, lives on the 13th floor and said “the whole thing was ridiculous” – even if it did allow her to get through two books.
“It’s absolutely diabolical,” she told the Gazette. “My weekend was practically nonexistent.
“I was going to the shops on Friday morning but my lift said ‘out of service’. I managed to get down to the 12th floor lift and lo and behold that was out of service too.
“I couldn’t go out. Luckily I’d done a big shop in the week so I had food. And my neighbour got me a pint of milk.
“I’m 80 in June, I can’t get down 13 flights of stairs. I was going to my friend’s on Saturday but had to cancel my plans.”
This is the second time Rosalyn has graced the Gazette’s pages over problems with her block’s lifts after getting stuck in one for two hours back in 2014.
She continued: “I’ve lived here since the 1970s and I can’t remember them both being out of service before. One of them is always broken though – they break down more times than I’ve had hot dinners.
“I tried to call the out of hours service at the weekend and had to listen to 20 minutes of terrible jazz music. So I’ve written to the mayor’s office now.”
Natalee Hibbert, who lives on the 14th floor, said wheelchair users and other disabled tenants had to be carried to their flats, while her mum was stuck outside and had to stay with a friend.
“We are absolutely disgusted with how long people were left alone in their flats unable to leave,” she said.
Hackney’s neighbourhoods boss Kim Wright said: “Staff were on site around the clock on both Saturday and Sunday, making sure everything was done to repair an electric fault quickly.
“All residents were given a letter explaining the situation and our vulnerable residents were offered additional help if they needed it, such as shopping for essentials.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents and are currently monitoring the lifts to prevent further break downs in the future.”
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