A disabled woman who has been stuck in her flat for two weeks due to a broken lift has now been told she could be left trapped for over a month. 

Mike Shaw, 86, father of Julie Maskell, 60, said that his daughter who suffers from MS hasn’t been able to leave her home for over two weeks and is becoming increasingly anxious.

After a phone call with the company that looks after her housing association property Housing Solutions last Friday, February 2, she was told that she could potentially be waiting another two weeks until the lift is mended.

“Me and my wife can’t even visit her,” he said. “We are both in our late 80s and can’t walk up all the flights of stairs. She is just stuck up there.”

Ms Maskell lives in Belford Court, Laud Close in Reading.

Ms Maskell said "My Birthday is on February 14 but they are unsure if it will be done by then. It will be over a month now until I can get out now."

Ms Maskell who is close with both her parents expressed her concern for not being able to connect with her family. 

"I haven't been able to see my parents for four weeks, and it's just not the same on the phone. I just want to see them."

"I feel completely isolated. It's just dragging on now it's so annoying."

Mr Shaw said his whole family has tried numerous times to get Housing Solutions to fix the lift, but that they have been consistently unsympathetic to them.

“The situation with this block of flats needs to be highlighted. My daughter is becoming increasingly agoraphobic and me and my wife are extremely worried about her.”

Mr Shaw said his daughter is normally a very placid woman but that this situation has turned her into an anxious wreck.

A spokesperson for Housing Solutions has said the following:

“We are so sorry that the lift at Belford Court has not been working.  We’re working hard with our specialist contractor to address an intermittent fault with the lift and get it back into operation as soon as possible.

“We have been in contact with individual residents to offer additional support that might be needed and have asked anyone who needs further help to get in touch with us.

“We know how frustrating the situation is and we want to thank our residents for their patience and understanding while we resolve this issue.”