RESIDENTS in a block of flats in Chard said they were recently left “housebound” after the lifts in the building broke down.

People living on 15 Bishops Court, Bradfield Way in Chard, were struggling to get down the stairs and out of their flats this week as the lifts broke down twice.

Jim Bruckel, head of customer partnership at Abri, said today (Friday, September 8) that the lifts have been repaired.

The building has a basement, a ground floor, and first and second floors.

Mrs Irene Dixon, 85, lives on the ground floor but said she was “worried” about other residents with disabilities living upstairs when the lifts could not be used.

She said: “We are having a lot of trouble. We have no working lifts at all. My friends who live 40 stairs up are housebound.

“This is the second time this week. I live on the ground floor because when I moved here four and a half years ago this was what was going.

“My friend lives upstairs and he can’t go downstairs. He has a mobility scooter because he can’t walk and now, he can’t get out of the flat. He also missed a hospital appointment.

“This is the second time the lifts are broken this week. The first time they were broken from the Friday to the following Thursday.

“Nobody seems interested in fixing the lifts and so many people rely on them and we are all worried.”

Jim Bruckel, head of customer partnership at Abri said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our highest priority. We are aware of an issue that occurred with the lifts at Bishops Court.

“We’re pleased to confirm that both lifts are now working. Our lift contractor attended to repair a lift yesterday (7 September 2023) and returned to repair the second lift today (8 September).

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience this has caused our customers.”