A 95-year-old trapped in her top floor flat for six weeks says she's been made to feel like a "caged zoo animal".

Frail Katherine Ainslie hasn't been able to leave her home since lifts at the sheltered housing complex broke down in December.

And her misery is set to continue, with the company that manages the site claiming government legislation is stopping them carrying out the £16,000 repair job.

Her son Martin Waterman (pictured right with Katherine) said the delay has left his mother a prisoner at Grange Mews in Crescent Road, Faversham.

He said: "My mum has been marooned. She is on the top floor and there are two flights of stairs and it is too much for her. We have told her to not attempt it - it is too dangerous.

"She is resilient but when she just has to stay in watching the box she says 'I'm stuck in this cage like a zoo animal'.

"When you get to that age it is a lifesaver being able to get out."

Residents at Grange Mews - who are all at least 60 years old - received a letter before Christmas explaining the lifts may be out of action for up to three months.

Martin said: "It was quite a big crisis. The residents have all rallied round and are all doing shopping for each other but it has been hard.

"she is resilient but when she just has to stay in watching the box she says 'i'm stuck in this cage like a zoo animal'..." – martin waterman

"My mum is fiercely independent and she wants to forge her own path. This has been one step too far not being able to go out. That keeps her going, going to the shops and talking to people."

But Lorraine Murphy, operations manager at Grange, which manages the site, says government legislation stops them carrying out the work immediately.

She said: "We understand their concerns but we cannot use the funds raised from maintenance charges immediately due to legislation.

"The lifts are 25 years old and it is £16,000 worth of work. We cannot just go ahead and use that much money to get the work done due to the legislation.

"We are going through the consultation process in order to do so but also hoping to get special dispensation to get it fixed sooner.

"We have written three letters to residents explaining this. We totally understand people want their lifts up and running but our hands are tied."

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