Ongoing issues with a broken down lift at Rozel Court has left a De Beauvoir resident and his disabled partner "disgusted" by the council's repair service.
De Beauvoir Town resident Brian Cox says the lift at his block has had problems for years and has meant him recently having to "bump" his disabled partner, who is in a wheelchair, down two flights of stairs.
He added that in a previous week, both lifts had been "out of action" which saw him help his wife down 26 flights of stairs from the couple's flat on the 13th floor.
Brian said: "The lift has been breaking down all the time, every two days."
"They expect me to bump a disabled person down flights of stairs – this has been going on for months and months now."
Hackney Council confirmed the latest breakdown reported on April 12 had been fixed and the lift is now working, apologising for the delay to repairs needed after "vandalism".
Brian says the issue has impacted many other disabled residents, parents with prams and the elderly who also live in flats in Rozel Court.
A council spokesperson said: "There was a delay in the contractor arriving to repair the lift, it has since been completed and is now back in operation. We will continue to action all repairs as quickly as possible."
But the issue affected important hospital trips Brian's wife needed to attend for chemotherapy.
The Rozel Court tenant added that it was "disgusting the way they treat disabled people" and said: "Its been going on for years every time they fix it – it goes out."
In response a council spokesperson apologised for the ongoing issue and inconvenience and said the lift was taken out of service due to vandalism.
"There have been four previous breakdowns also due to vandalism this year.
"The council has more than 600 lifts within its residential housing stock. Maintaining them for our residents who are reliant on them is priority," the spokesperson added.
They said that when a lift is out of service for a length of time the housing management team contacts vulnerable residents to offer practical support with everyday needs, those residents are then referred to the council's Here To Help service.
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