South London Press & Mercury

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

A mum has been forced to carry her disabled son down the stairs outside their flat for the past year as the lift keeps breaking.

Charlie Lynch can only get her 11-year-old disabled son to school if her sister or neighbour helps carry him in his wheelchair down a narrow staircase – otherwise he has to stay at home.

The family, who live in a first floor flat in Abbotts House, Pimlico, have had to do this for the past year, Charlie claims.

She said: “I carry him down in a wheelchair and I have had to do that for about a year.

“He cannot walk down the stairs on his own. It’s just ridiculous. If my son was an adult in that flat [on his own] he would not be able to move.”

Charlie said the lift usually breaks every couple of weeks, and although housing association Peabody has tried to fix the lift, the problem has been ongoing for a year.

The lights on parts of the estate have also begun to turn off when it rains, making it very difficult for residents to get around.

On October 1 last year Charlie’s son fell on the stairs and his wheelchair crashed down to the bottom of the stairway.

Again in March, the boy fell and injured himself when the lights on the estate had gone out.

At that time, thick mould had built up on the outside of their building and water from nearby drainpipes on the estate had been seeping into Charlie’s home.

The issues inside Charlie’s home were finally solved last month, but the mum is still pushing Peabody to properly fix the lift. She added: “There are other disabled residents living in that block.”

A Peabody spokeswoman said: “We met with Ms Lynch on the estate last month and completely understand her concerns.

“The family has a high priority for rehousing, but it’s really important that we identify the ongoing problem with the lift as soon as possible.

“It is unacceptable that it’s so unreliable, especially considering the impact of this on the Lynch family, and we have instructed a specialist engineer to do a detailed investigation urgently.

“We know this is very difficult and hugely frustrating for everyone living in the block and we hope it will be sorted out soon.”

Pictured top: Charlie Lynch (left) and her sister Lisa Lynch have been carrying Charlie\s son down stairs to get him to school (Picture: Jacob Phillips)

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