ELDERLY residents of a block of apartments in Tavistock were left stranded after a lift broke down at Pinder Court last week. The lifts broke down on May 1 but some of the occupants of the three storey building were unable to negotiate the two flights of steps and had to rely on friends to make sure they could get essentials. One of the residents, Beryl Grundy, 78, had to be carried down two flights of stairs on Friday morning because she had an important doctor's appointment. Her son-in-law Simon Rouse said up to a dozen elderly residents were badly affected by the lift failure. 'My mother-in-law is stuck there until the lift is fixed — she cannot go anywhere, nor can any of the residents, unless they are physically able to walk,' said Mr Rouse. West Devon Homes, who manage the apartments, said it was currently waiting on parts to fix the lift but was working to minimise any disruption to its residents. Director of resources Neil Williams said it was hoped to have the matter resolved as soon as possible. 'Unfortunately the lift developed a fault with the door sensor which meant it had to be put out of action,' he said. 'As this lift is located within one of our sheltered schemes we are giving this issue our urgent attention, but our response is limited by the availability of parts, in this case.' A letter of explanation was hand delivered to each resident and additional help was being offered by the company's support officers. This included the carrying of shopping up the steps to homes above ground floor level, contacting GPs to arrange home visits where required and replacing hospital cars with an ambulance service, equipped to carry residents who are unable to use the steps.
