Charrington Court, Romford: lift breakdown traps residents

Residents in Charrington Court on Atlanta Boulevard told the Recorder that lifts in the nine-storey block - which has 98 flats - were out of order from April 16 to May 3.

Families with babies had to carry them up several floors - with one single mum trapped as she could not carry both her children downstairs and her elderly parents could not climb up to visit her.

Images shared by residents show the communal area at the bottom of the stairs packed with pushchairs, causing further safety hazards.

Push chairs left by the post lockers at the building (Image: Pamela Hines)Despite repeated complaints, the lifts were only fixed last Friday (May 3), occupants claim.

Pamela Hines, who lives on the fifth floor, claims she tried raising the issue with housing association One Housing, which manages the block, but received no response.

• Read More: Housing association: Leaseholders not to pay for cladding replacement

“We have been sent numerous 'copy and pasted' emails with identical information which did not provide any actual update and most emails do not even relate to our address”, she said.

Pamela Hines said she had tried contacting One Housing about the problem several times over phone and emails but had no success in getting a proper response (Image: Pamela Hines)Pamela claims she pays £190 a month in service charge, but the service she gets is “shoddy at best” and “non-existent” at worst.

While she said two One Housing staff had come to the block to help after the breakdown, she said they were not very helpful or easy to get hold of.

Another resident, who asked to stay anonymous, echoed Pamela's view in a complaint letter shared with the Recorder and Romford MP Andrew Rosindell.

The letter highlighted a single mother with two small children, who lived on the ninth floor, was "trapped" in her flat as she was unable to get them and her buggy down the stairs at the same time.

An out of service message displayed above the lift at the building (Image: Submitted)Her elderly parents, it said, were unable to come and help her with childcare as they could not climb the stairs themselves.

The letter said: “She had to rely on a neighbour to bring her food as the delivery companies will not carry the goods up the stairs, stating health and safety reasons.

“Another elderly neighbour with mobility issues has been unable to leave his flat and has missed medical appointments as he cannot manage so many flights of stairs”, it added.

This is said to be the second time in recent months that the lifts have broken down. The letter details that they were also out of order from February 27 to March 3, and the fire lift was reported as being out of service from October 2023 until March 2024 as the contractor did not have parts to fix it.

A One Housing spokesperson said they “sincerely apologise” to tenants at Charrington Court for any “upset or inconvenience caused".

She claimed the group immediately provided 24/7 onsite support to residents after One Housing was made aware that both lifts were not working on April 16.

This included help using stairs and carrying items to other floors.

“The onsite staff remained present in the area even after the first lift was returned to working order on Monday (April 29)”, she added.

The spokesperson added that a delay in getting new parts meant they were eventually fitted on Wednesday (May 1), but one of the lifts broke down again on Friday (May 3) which was reportedly fixed that evening.

She said One Housing will be carrying out a survey of lifts across all One Housing properties and will be prioritising the lifts at Charrington Court with a contractor planned to visit today (May 7).

She added: “We are genuinely sorry it has taken longer than expected to resolve the lift issues and understand our customers’ frustrations, we will be working with customers to address any further concerns”, she said.