Elderly and vulnerable people living in retirement flats are growing increasingly fed up after their lift broke down more than 10 weeks ago.

One elderly woman has not been able to leave her flat for more than two months, while a 97-year-old man has been stuck on the second floor.

Peggy Hornby and other residents at Crusader Court, a retirement housing complex in Keyes Road, Dartford, are “frustrated” that the lift has been out of order for so long.

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The building has only a few floors but many residents struggle to use the stairs.

The lift stopped working on Sunday, May 14, Peggy’s 94th birthday.

Her son Nick Allen said: “My mum is not capable of going up any stairs any more, it is pretty much impossible.”

Her daughter-in-law, Daphne Allen, added: “She hasn’t been able to go down to socialise or to go to any of the activities that whole time.”

Peggy, who lives on the first floor, has angina, arthritis and Bowen’s disease, an early and treatable form of skin cancer.

Nick said: “We bought a wheelchair for her but that will not go up and down the stairs either.”

Another resident, Albert Norton, 97, who is hard of hearing, is on the second floor and has not been able to go downstairs since the lift stopped working.

Mel Fox, 72, who also lives at Crusader Court, said: “Albert walks up and down the corridor at night because he wants to get out but he can’t get down.”

The residents informed a housing officer of the fault in May and a new part was fitted on May 31. However, the council said: “Unfortunately this solved one problem but created another”.

A letter was sent saying a different part was needed to fix the lift but it should be up and running within three weeks.

In July, the council sent another letter stating the part was manufactured by a specialist company in Spain and there was no alternative supplier available. The residents were then given an estimated date of repair as July 24, which then changed to July 31.

Maureen Chambers, 80, who lives on the first floor, said: “We have four staircases here but each and every one of them is difficult to climb.”

“The lift has broken before but it’s never been not working for this long. I was stuck in the lift three years ago and I had to wait half an hour for the fireman to come and get me out.”

Maureen and Mel also contacted Dartford MP Gareth Johnson (Con) in a bid to resolve the problem.

The head of housing at the council responded by calling it a “freak issue” which they “have no direct control over”.

Implementing a stairlift was considered as a backup measure but due to the design of
the stairs in the complex, it would take six to eight weeks
to manufacture.

Maureen, who has lived at Crusader Court for six years, said: “There is a man called Roy who lives on the top floor and he is 74.

“He is in hospital at the moment but when the ambulance came they couldn’t get him down the stairs in the chair, so they had to call another ambulance to help them get him down.”

Mel, who is on the first floor, added: “I feel frustrated by not knowing what is going on anymore and that there’s nothing more we can do.

"They have kept changing the date that it will be fixed and I get upset thinking about the people stuck up there who can’t get down.”

Dartford council said in a statement: “The nature of the fault requires a new part, which is being specially manufactured in Spain. We are in daily contact with our contractors in order to get the repair undertaken as soon as possible. The repair should be completed on or before July 31.

“The council fully understands the frustration of residents with the current situation, but this was a problem which could not have been foreseen and we had no choice but to wait for the part. The council will continue to support the residents affected in any way it can.”