CONSTANTLY broken lifts in high-rise flats in Watford have left hundreds of people demanding an end to a “living nightmare”.

The regular failures at Munden View and Abbey View, going back as far as April, have stranded residents unable to climb or drag shopping bags up 16 flights of concrete stairs.

Watford Community Housing Trust says contract breaking by lift provider Kone and possible vandalism were responsible but frustrated residents have blamed the trust.

Last week Watford MP Claire Ward attended the latest in a series of protests outside the tower blocks, in Garsmouth Way.

In a letter to the trust’s chief executive Tina Barnard she asked why Kone had been appointed, why the firm was being allowed to break its contract and when the lifts would be repaired or replaced.

Mother-of-two Helen Clark, of Munden View, said: “There are elderly people who haven’t been able to leave home for two weeks.”

A Watford Community Housing Trust statement said Kone reported 68 per cent of the failures to be due to “tampering” with the lift mechanisms and that substantial work needed to be carried out to prevent continuous breakdowns.

Ms Clark, 27, dismissed claims of vandalism as a “joke” adding that the trust had not found any evidence on CCTV footage and was incorrectly blaming residents.

The trust representative said: “The main issue with the high rise is that the door mechanisms require renewal together with some other improvement works. While this has been allowed for in our business plan it has not been allowed for in the early years.

“The reason being, that the lifts underwent an upgrade by Watford Borough Council in 1999 to the sum of £250,000. It was felt this would result in decent lift performance but this has not proven to be the case and the work needs to be brought forward.

“Currently approval of the improvement work is being sought and a decision will be made in the next few days.

“This will not necessarily prevent misuse/tampering and we are looking into ways to “vandal proof” the lifts.”

The Watford Observer asked for a comment from Kone but had not heard from them by the time of going to print.