THE trust which runs Basingstoke Sports Centre says it feels “let down” by the company which services its lift, which has been out of order for several weeks.

Andrew Rhys, head of business development for Basingstoke and District Sports Trust, said a formal complaint has been registered with the director and company secretary of Crest Lifts, which has so far failed to fix the fault.

This has resulted in those with pushchairs struggling to reach the first floor to access the soft play area, or other facilities such as the swimming pool.

Mr Rhys said: “Whilst out of service, the charity’s staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure our customers can still access the Sports Centre. We’re very passionate about the services we offer and care about our customers. We have a temporary, alternative access route for customers who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters and, for new parents, staff are routinely helping to carry pushchairs and prams from reception to the first floor.

“We do then have a second lift which accesses all other floors. However, this is clearly not an ideal situation for anyone and the charity apologises unreservedly to our customers for this inconvenience.”

He said the lift is manufactured by Schindler, and the Sports Centre has a service contract with Crest Lifts Limited.

Mr Rhys added: “We do feel very let down by Crest Lifts and we registered a formal complaint with their director and company secretary on 19 November 2019. We are yet to receive a response.

“We have contacted Crest on a daily basis and today (November 25), have been advised that an engineer will be on site tomorrow to effect repairs. We sincerely hope this is the case for all concerned.”

David Waller, service manager for Crest Lifts, said: “We apologise for any inconvenience that this lift being out of service has caused but we are still awaiting spare parts from the original equipment manufacturer which will enable us to repair the lift and return it to service.”