CONCERN has been raised over the lifts at Golden Square Shopping Centre following a recent incident.

A couple, one of whom has mobility issues requiring the use of the lifts, was forced to walk much further than normal due to a ‘malfunction’

“My wife and I had a worrying experience in the only working lift in the red zone of the car park,” they said.

“The lift set off, but suddenly jerked to a halt with the doors closed, closely followed by a series of random and conflicting announcements of ‘lift going up’, ‘lift going down’ and ‘lift overloaded’.

“There were only four people in the lift, so I assume this was a malfunction. I pressed the emergency button and the doors opened on the ground floor.

“As we needed to get to level two, and with one lift out of service and the other malfunctioning, we were forced to walk through the ground floor car park to the blue zone and use the lifts there.”

The shopper said that this was a problem for his wife, who has ‘significant mobility issues’ due to arthritis, cannot walk far and cannot use the stairs.

This was not the only time she had been forced to walk further than she is comfortable with, the shopper said, due to finding both lifts out of action or struggling to get into a lift when it is the only one working and there is overcrowding.

“To add insult to injury, when we eventually got to the pay station, we were three minutes over the hour, and had to pay £2 instead of £1.20,” they added.

“When is this long-standing issue with the lifts getting sorted?

“It makes life difficult for everybody, particularly for disabled and mobility-impaired people.

“We have been regular Golden Square users since it opened and have found the shopping centre to be well maintained and spotlessly clean, and the car park clean and well lit.

“The issue with the lifts has only become serious in the last year or so, but I know from conversations with other people that it is causing a lot of inconvenience and worry.”

In response, a Golden Square spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear you have had this experience and can only apologise for the inconvenience caused by this ongoing issue.

“We do everything within our power to rectify a situation like this as quickly as possible, as we understand the implications this has on our customers.

“Unfortunately, in this instance, this is out of our hands due to the manufacturers having issues ordering the parts we need, and this is taking time.

“We have reported the other lift in the red zone, and this has been looked at. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

“We can offer you free parking on your next visit to compensate you for the extra charge on your parking fee. I hope this helps with your concerns.”