Broken lifts mean elderly people and pregnant women are being forced to use the stairs in a 12-storey tower block – but the council won’t replace them.

Sibel Yildirim, who lives in Bliss House, Forty Hill, said residents had been plagued by problems with the lifts for months and many had lost faith with Enfield Council because of its failure to act.

She said people were afraid of getting trapped in the lifts and were having to use the stairwells, despite repeated issues of drug use and anti-social behaviour in the building.

Ms Yildirim said: “The first lift has been broken since November – they have not fixed it yet.

“The second lift we have keeps breaking down. A lot of people are struggling – there are lots of people complaining but they are not able to resolve the issues.

“We have been back and forth with the councillors, neighbourhood officers and the council. They are not safe for us to use – they break down a lot.

“We have pregnant ladies, elderly people, people with physical issues.

“Most of the residents have lost faith. They believe no-one is going to do anything.”

Ms Yildirim said the council had told her it did not currently have the money to replace the lifts and was planning to do so by 2024.

She added that residents had been told some of the problems were due to people vandalising the lifts.

Ms Yildirim said: “Anything we suggest, they are finding an excuse. The engineers come out to fix it every week. They attend and do not do the job properly.

“With the money they have spent on these lifts, they could have replaced them.”

A spokesperson at Enfield Council said: “We take residents’ safety extremely seriously and we are always looking at ways of making blocks more secure and to improve repair times where possible.

“We always treat lift failures as an emergency and aim to fix them as rapidly as we can. In some cases, we are able to bring lifts back into action immediately.

“However, in the case of Bliss House, we have had to order new parts for both lifts. A panel was removed from one lift on 15 January and it has been taken away for repairs, which should take around one week.

“As for the other lift, the contractors returned on January 15 to fit the new part and the lift is operational.

“We acknowledge the inconvenience lift breakdowns cause. We’d like to reassure residents that we regularly inspect the condition of our lifts and use this information to determine whether full lift replacements are appropriate, based on their assessed remaining life.

“With regards the anti-social behaviour in the building, all residents have the right to live in and move around their home without fear of intimidation or concerns for their safety.

“Enfield Council funds 16 police officers as an extra resource on our estates, despite significant cuts to the borough’s budgets.

“However, any residents worried about anti-social behaviour should contact the police non-emergency number on 101, or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. If there is an immediate risk, call 999.”