Weymouth woman 'depressed and lonely' after being stuck in flat since March

Audrey Dunne was forced to miss her second Covid vaccine due to the situation, which she said had left her feeling 'depressed and lonely'.

Audrey Dunne was forced to miss her second Covid vaccine due to the situation

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The 78-year-old, who lives at Nautica apartments, in St Alban Street has not been able to leave her home on the third floor of the building since the lift broke down on March 30.

The lift on the third floor does not have a sign warning residents the lift is broken

Ms Dunne has been suffering with an arthritic hip for five years, which makes it ‘next to impossible’ for her to walk up and down the 56 steps to her apartment.

She said: “I’ve been living here for 10 years and within that time the lift has broken several times, but it’s usually always fixed within a week.

“I suffer with an arthritic hip, which can be very painful – so without the lift I’ve not been able to get to the bottom floor since it broke. It's next to impossible for me use the stairs.

“I’ve had the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, but it’s not been possible for me get the second jab, which I was supposed to have in April.

“I take vitamin D tablets because I’m not able to get any direct sunlight.

“It’s a very depressing and lonely situation – I’ve forgotten the sounds and smells of the town centre.”

Audrey Dunne has been trapped in her apartment since March 30 unable to leave due to the broken lift

The building is managed by Dorchester housing firm Templehill Property.

Ms Dunne’s third-floor neighbour Warren Smith, 66, has been helping her with her groceries while the lift remains broken.

Mr Smith said: “There was a power cut on March 30 and the lift has been broken since.

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“I feel there’s been a lack of communication from Templehill.

“We receive letters now and again – there has been an updated notice published on the door of the lift on the bottom floor, which isn’t much use to Audrey."

Mr Smith has been helping Ms Dunne with her groceries while the lift remains out of use

Ms Dunne, who lives alone, said all she wants is to meet her friends again.

“I would usually leave the building two days a week to meet my friend for coffee, but she’s as old as me and uses crutches – so without a working lift we won’t see each other,” she added.

Templehill said they attempted to repair the lift but another fault was discovered, leaving it out of action.

Mr Smith with his dog Georgie, who suffers with a limp and has to go up and down the stairs several times a day

A spokesman said: "We authorised the investigation of the lift fault within 24 hours of being notified.

"The lift in Nautica was repaired after intrusive investigation which required specialist scaffold access and a material part from Europe. On completion of this repair the lift contractors advised there was another fault leaving the lift out of service. The lift contractors are currently waiting for another part to arrive.

"At present, it's advised the part will arrive within four to six weeks which is between June 4 to June 18. However, the supplier has been advised of the urgent nature of this order and we remain hopeful it will be received sooner."

Templehill, a property firm in Dorchester run the building in St Albans Street