Andover: Disabled man stuck in Chantry Centre lift for hours

The lift in the Chantry Centre, run by Temple Lifts, broke down at around 10.10am on Wednesday, October 15, with the man inside, and he was stuck for hours before he could be rescued.

An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said: "I was surprised coming back from my coffee to find someone rapping on the window, and they were stuck in the lift."

According to Test Valley Borough Council, it is now undertaking an "urgent review"(Image: Contributed)

Another eyewitness said: "I cannot believe that this disabled gentleman, who was in a mobility scooter, was left in what is a very small lift,  for almost three hours - especially when it took the fire service just minutes to release him.

"Thanks to the Chantry Centre staff, he was checked on very regularly, but by the time I passed by and spoke to him some two and a half hours later, he was understandably distressed."

Test Valley Borough Council, which owns and manages the shopping centre, said it "must have been an incredibly upsetting situation" and praised the fire service for its help.

A spokesperson for the council said: "The gentleman pressed the emergency button immediately after the elevator became stuck.

"This triggers the lift company to respond urgently, and we remained in communication with the customer throughout.

"We chased the company repeatedly, but they failed to attend, which led to us contacting the fire service, who freed him successfully.

"We are now undertaking an urgent review with the lift company to understand the reasons for the delay, while also reviewing our protocol for notifying the emergency services sooner in future should there be any delays with the company attending.

"We are pleased the gentleman is now safe and hope he has recovered from the ordeal."

The lift is operated by Temple Lifts, which is based at Langstone Technology Park in Havant.

When the Advertiser called the company for a statement, the operator said that it was aware of the situation and was working with the customer.

The company, which claims on its website to employ more than 80 people and that it has been in business for 30 years, then refused to answer more questions and put the phone down.

This is not the first time that the lifts in the Chantry Centre, which serve the multi-storey car park, have attracted attention. The Advertiser reported that they were repeatedly out of action earlier this year.

In 2019, after Test Valley Borough Council purchased the shopping centre, independent engineers reviewed the lifts after a series of problems had plagued them. The council then undertook work to fix these issues, with a refurbishment occurring in 2020.