Lift in block full of elderly people has not worked since April 2

The residents of Block D Newlands Place, who are tenants of Sanctuary Scotland, include a 97-year-old man who uses a walking frame, a fifth floor resident who needs a motor scooter and two others who have had knee replacements.

Their lift went out of commission on Friday, April 2 and remained that way by time of going to press.

Complaints to the landlord have been met with a lack of response as callers allege they were given the runaround.

One, Moira Noble (73), said: "Various residents have called to report it and every one was given different information. I spent an hour holding on only to be told they were having difficulty sourcing the part which now has to come from abroad.

"On Sunday, there were three lift engineers here. l spoke to them and asked if they were repairing it, a rather grumpy man said no, l asked it would be repaired as soon as possible. He wouldn't comment, he said they were waiting on a few parts!

"It's getting really desperate, now into week three for some people trapped in these flats. It's worrying too because an earlier lift failure in Block A a few years ago apparently took nine weeks to fix!”

The residents fall into the same category as a vulnerable group of pensioners we highlighted back in January many of whom have been re-housed from Cumbernauld s 1960s-built high rises which have now been demolished.

The residents had been trapped in their homes during the cold snap but Sanctuary said it could not assist them as the homes are not among its sheltered housing portfolio.

A spokesperson from Sanctuary said: “We are sorry for the inconvenience the issue with the lift has caused and understand the residents’ frustration. The specialist parts needed to restore the lift were ordered as a matter of urgency and will be fitted as soon as they are available. Until the lift is repaired our housing officers will continue contacting residents to make sure they have family support in place and to help arrange support for those who don’t.”