Outrage as double amputee is trapped in his own home

Angry Clifton Court residents standing on the second floor by the broken lift

Derek Hayes has not been able to leave his apartment in Clifton Court in Worthing ever since the building’s lift broke down.

Now Derek, who uses a wheelchair, is one of many residents unable to get fresh air or go into town because they cannot take the stairs.

Derek, a retired forklift truck driver for BMW, said: “Without the lift I’ve got no power to get up the stairs. It’s broken twice this year.”

Clifton Court (left) apartments in Clifton Road, with the broken lift and steep stairs

The Clifton Road flats are managed by Worthing Homes, which has said it is waiting for a part for the lift.

Derek likes to go out into Worthing two or three times a week, but has not even been able to get outside since the lift broke.

But Derek is not the only resident unable to leave their home due to the faulty lift.

Many residents of Clifton Court, some of whom have heart problems, are affected.

One resident in her nineties said: “I haven’t been out for weeks. It’s boring.”

Another said: “My niece came last week and could not get up the stairs.”

One angry resident added: “There has been no communication. Nothing to say what is going on.”

Ron Mason, 75, said Worthing Homes’ service is good if the issue is something within one of the flats, but the lift has broken ‘at least six times’ that he can remember.

He said: “All of us here are like one family, we try to look after each other. If we do not all pull together then nothing is going to get done.”

A Worthing Homes spokesman said they were told about the lift on March 27, which was due to a damaged bracket.

However a secondary part also needs to be replaced, the spokesman added: “We are liaising with the engineers to see if we can fix this sooner than the April 13 date we have been given.”

“Support co–ordinators have been liaising with residents to keep them informed and offer support with shopping or getting medication as we appreciate this has affected the ease of getting out.

“We understand the impact that this has had on our residents but have been doing everything we can to get this resolved as quickly as possible and to assist residents in any way we can during this time.”