THE lifts don’t work and the restaurant manager has made his exit.

Southampton’s multimillion pound city centre arts is beset by problems just two months after its grand opening.

Nuffield Southampton Theatre (NST) threw open its doors in the city centre’s cultural quarter development February this year as one half of the £30m Studio 144.

Now city entrepreneur Spencer Bowman has stepped down from managing the theatre cafe bar Tyrrells - which has already reduced its opening hours and stopped serving food.

Meanwhile people with disabilities have been denied access to the venue as the lifts are out of order and the box office had to offer refunds to theatregoers unable to the stairs.

The Echo can reveal that the lifts won’t be fixed until July.

The theatre managers are putting the blame on the shoulders of their landlords –s Southampton City Council and disability activists have slammed the the venue for the “appalling” situation.

Ian Loynes, chief executive of Southampton disability advocacy group Spectrum said theatre managers themselves should be “insisting” that the lift is fully functional.

He said: “That’s always the excuse - blaming the landlord. The Nuffield have a legal duty to provide a service under the equality act. If they have moved into a venue that isn’t suitable then that just doesn’t stack up at all.

“My local fish and chip shop had a step which I couldn’t use. I reported them with threats of taking them to court - and suddenly they installed a ramp which cost £100 and got them more customers.”

Deputy leader of the Conservative opposition on Southampton City Council, John Hannides, said SCC should “get a grip” and fix the lift “as quickly as possible.”

Speaking to the Echo he said: “A lot of people have looked forward to it and a lot of public money has been invested.

“Anything that impedes its use is unacceptable.”

Director of development at NST Laura Eastwood said: “NST take access very seriously, we acknowledge this is not an acceptable position and we are in regular contact with our customers who are wheelchair users or have mobility issues who will be affected by this.

“Tyrrells is not closed but we have temporarily reduced the opening hours to match performance times only, whilst our lifts have been out of service.

“We are in constant contact with SCC to rectify the situation. As we are aware the lifts require some significant remedial work, which is underway and is programmed to be complete by the end of July.

“NST will bring the Tyrrells brand in house under the management of Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Spencer Bowman, owner of Mettricks will focus on his brand Mettricks. This has been a constructive process and a decision that we have reached together.

“The bar will open two hours before a performance and we are currently serving drinks but not food. Customers who are unable to access the building via the stairs are being contacted personally and we are working with them individually to address their needs. If necessary we are moving, exchanging or refunding tickets. “

Spencer said he had nothing further to add - except that “there’s no lift at the front or back of the building.”

A spokesperson for Southampton City Council apologised for the debacle and said “plans are in place to resolve the issues.”

The spokesperson added added: “We are committed to ensuring that all public buildings are as accessible as possible to all members of the public."

Customers who have bought tickets and are unable to attend due to access issues will be given full refunds. For more information please contact the Box Office: 023 8067 1771 or boxoffice@nstheatres.co.uk.”

The venue was billed as the "jewel in the crown" of the Cultural Quarter.

In April a leaked report slammed the six council administrations who over the course of the 18 year project failed to document "decision making processes" and the project was likely to be more than £4m over budget.