A wheelchair-bound woman says she is “trapped” in her home on the 11th floor of a Dundee multi due to a broken-down lift.
Gill Webster fears what will happen in an emergency – as she is unable to get to or from her home while the lift is out of order.
It comes after the lift, which serves odd-numbered floors at Tulloch Court in the Hilltown, broke down twice.
Gill said: “I am a prisoner in my home on the 11th floor – with the lift out of order I have no way of getting out of the building.
“If I become unwell or there is a fire I will be trapped . I don’t know how anyone would get me out of here – I am very, very worried, terrified really.”
Gill, who lost a leg six years ago, says the lift broke down on Tuesday while she was out of the building.
It was fixed on the day, but then it broke down again on Wednesday.
She said: “This time I was in my flat. The engineers came again but they told me they couldn’t fix the lift on that occasion.
“They then told me that it would be at least a week before the lift is mended. That really scared me.
“It means I will be trapped in my flat until the lift is mended.
‘It doesn’t bear thinking about what could happen’
“There is no way for me to get out of here. It doesn’t bear thinking about what could happen in the case of an emergency.
“The nurses who came to see me climbed 11 flights of stairs. Many people don’t appreciate that you can go up or down a flight of stairs – sadly that just isn’t an option for me.”
Gill – who says the issue is also affecting her mental health – has been fighting to get rehomed for years, but so far has had no success.
She added: “The situation is ridiculous and there is no sign of me getting a ground-floor flat.
“I think the whole situation is also about to get worse when improvements start on the multis.
“The engineers have told me to expect the lifts to be completely out of operation for 14 weeks during the work.
“I am absolutely desperate to be rehoused to much more suitable accommodation before then.”
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “We are currently working to repair the odd lift at Tulloch Court at the earliest opportunity.
“While the repairs are ongoing, we have contacted all affected residents to provide advice and support.
Council working with police and fire service
“This has included working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland colleagues to advise tenants who may require support on evacuation plans in the event of an emergency.”
He added: “Our Safety and Alarm Response Centre (SARC) are onsite during the day and accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We are also carrying out additional daily support checks for anyone affected.”
