A disabled 64-year-old woman had to be rescued by the fire service from her sheltered accommodation after she was stuck in her flat for over two hours due to a faulty lock.
Theresa Connolly’s 13th floor flat door had to be forced open on Wednesday, August 24, after the lock on the door broke, causing her to be separated from her carer for hours.
Around a month ago, Theresa phoned West Dunbartonshire Council to replace the faulty lock at her flat at Westbridgend but instead a repair was carried out.
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Theresa, who suffers from anxiety and depression alongside having trouble walking, said: “My carer, Donna, couldn’t get in the door, and I couldn’t open it. The lock was completely broken. I was locked in, and she was locked out.
“The council said that they would put it down as an emergency, but they couldn’t give a time on when the joiner was coming.
“After hours, I had to phone the fire brigade because of how upset I got. Then 10 minutes later, the fire brigade came, and even they had trouble putting the door in.
“It was half past four in the afternoon before the joiner from the council arrived, and that was after phoning at ten o’clock in the morning.
“If I hadn’t phoned the fire brigade, my carer wouldn’t have got in to see me.
“Has West Dunbartonshire Council forgotten the lessons of Grenfell? They had a disabled tenant, 13 storeys up, who couldn’t even get out her front door.
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“I was really, really upset. I kept thinking, ‘b****y hell, if anything happens, then I will never get out of the building’.
“My dealings with the council have been an absolute disgrace. I am not criticising the council workers on the ground, I am criticising the higher-ups.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At 11.21am on Wednesday, August 24 operations control mobilised one appliance to Leven Court, Dumbarton to gain entry to a dwelling. Firefighters left the location at 12.04pm.”
A West Dunbartonshire Council spokesperson said: “We are sincerely sorry for any distress caused to Ms Connolly and recognise our response fell well short of what would be expected in this situation.
“The repairs have now been completed and we have contacted Ms Connolly to personally apologise.”
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