ELDERLY residents in a block of flats in Southampton say they have been left trapped in their homes for more than two weeks.

The pensioners say they are virtually stranded because of a broken lift.

Many of the Kerrigan Court tenants have been unable to leave their block while a disabled man living on the top floor had to be brought upstairs by ambulance workers.

Now housing bosses have apologised and offered to put the residents up in hotels plus pay for food and parking until the lift is fixed. They have even offered to help tenants with their shopping.

The 46 residents of the 43 flats in the three-storey Westwood Road block have been offered alternative accommodation to compensate for the problem, after housing association Stonewater says it will have to specially manufacture a part for the lift.

Resident John Allen, 68, who lives on the top floor of the three-storey block and suffers from severe breathing difficulties due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said the lift should have been fixed two weeks ago.

He said: “It’s deplorable.

“It was supposed to be repaired on July 14 but the emergency engineer just put ‘out of order’ signs on lift doors.

“I struggle to get up and down the stairs and so does my wife.

“With the service charge, which is supposed to include lift maintenance, we pay £160 a week. It’s disgusting. We’ve got elderly people here who haven’t been able to get out at all.”

So far Mr Allen and his wife Eileen are the only residents to take up the offer, and spent two nights in a Premier Inn in Christchurch before being moved to the Premier Inn at Eastleigh Airport.

But now the couple have moved back home, hoping the problem lift will be fixed soon.

Top-floor resident Yvonne Beare, 88, who has lived in the block for 22 years, said: “I’ve got problems with my knees so I can’t get down the stairs. I don’t know what we would do if there was a fire. We’d be stuck. We have been told to stay in the flat.”

Another 81-year-old who lives in the block said she has had to rely on her daughter to bring in her shopping as she cannot get out.

Meanwhile Louis Lyons, 78, uses a mobility scooter to do his paper delivery round, and has been told he isn’t allowed to take his scooter down the stairs – meaning it takes him an extra hour to do his morning round.

Stonewater has also sent a letter to residents offering them a refund of the service charge.

A statement from the firm said they are “extremely sorry” for the inconvenience and added: “We have the wellbeing of all our residents at the forefront of our decisions and have been working with them every step of the way to ensure their every need is catered for.

“We have kept all residents informed and also helped any resident who required additional support during this time, even with their shopping.

“In addition, we have offered residents the option of moving out of their home into temporary hotel accommodation – we will continue to assess this situation daily as we work to repair the lift.”

A spokesperson added: “Any costs incurred by us while we ensure our residents’ wellbeing is upheld during this repair is something that we wouldn’t disclose.”

Stonewater manages 30,000 homes across the UK and has £1.6 billion in assets according to information on the company’s website.

Southampton City Council’s spokesman for housing Councillor David Fuller said: “Getting a lift fixed must be an absolute priority when it comes to elderly and disabled people getting out and about and living their lives.

“It’s the essential that the housing authority get it fixed as a matter of urgency.”