THE mother of a young baby has been left with an "absolute nightmare" as the lift in the block of flats where she lives constantly breaks down.

Single parent Dennie Atkinson, 21, and five-month-old Elise have been unable to leave their home, Ailsa House, Thorp Edge, alone since Friday due to the problem.

It means Dennie - who lives on the fifth of seven floors - cannot get up the numerous flights of stairs with her pram, so she has to rely on her mum and sister, who both work, to babysit.

After moving into the property in April, she claims the lift has been out of order over 20 times and it is once every few weeks.

On one occasion, Dennie says she was stuck in the lift for several minutes which caused obvious panic.

Dennie said: "It is an absolute nightmare. It is impossible for me to get out on my own with Elise.

"Since I moved here in April, the lift has broken down over 20 times.

"Even when it does work, it makes that many noises it gives you anxiety that it could break down at any moment.

"It doesn't just affect me either, there are elderly people and other parents with young babies who dependent on it."

Jodie Atkinson, Dennie's sister, added: "I have been in it a few times, and it makes funny noises. My sister got stuck in it at one point for a few minutes.

"There is obviously a problem with it but they are not fixing it properly.

"The amount of people that live in these flats and pay £400 a month, the money they must be making. Just put a new one in.

"Elderly people live above my sister, I don’t know how they manage. It is a killer going up and down those stairs."

Incommunities, the housing association responsible for the block, says it is working on a "long-term" solution to fix the lift.

A spokesperson said: "We are sorry for the inconvenience for customers and are working hard to complete the lift repair at Ailsa House as soon as possible.

"External engineers will return to site tomorrow to continue repairs and work on a long-term solution to repair the lift.

"All customers have been contacted by our neighbourhoods team.

"Any customers with additional support needs can contact customer services on 01274 257777, a 24-hour concierge service can also be reached by customers from their properties."