| John Taylor (49), his partner Helen Spratt (43) and John’s 13-year-old son Craig were stranded in the lift at Burnside Court after attempts to reach help failed.
They were forced to endure over five hours in confinement and Mr Taylor today blasted Dundee City Council for failing to install adequate equipment in the residential block.
The three got in the lift in the early hours after a visit to a family member’s home.
“We pressed the button on the door for our floor and it shook and moved but the doors opened and we were still on the ground,” Mr Taylor said.
“I pressed the button again and the lift shook and moved again and then everything died apart from the lights.”
The family became desperate when they were unable to summon help and were released only after a passer-by heard their cries for help at 8.30am.
“We couldn’t even get a signal for a mobile in there,” Mr Taylor said. “We pushed the emergency button in the lift but nobody answered and all we heard was a voice activation message.
“There isn’t an overnight concierge in the building either, so we couldn’t get anyone to help.
“It was really scary, it was uncomfortable. My son was frightened and my partner is now in agony as she has a bad back.”
The angry tenant, who works as a taxi driver, said he was “livid” at the city council.
“We have asked for an overnight concierge before in case something like this happened,” he said.
“We have a lot of older people living here who could get trapped and some of them could have illnesses and could get stuck in the lift all night. I am livid about it, it’s so dangerous. The city council have let the people down, I think because they are getting rid of the multis they are not bothered.”
A city council spokesperson said, “We are investigating, but in the meantime we would apologise to the tenant and his family.” |
