ANGRY Easterhouse residents say they have been left without a lift AND escalators at their local shopping centre for months.

The furious shoppers claim the decision by The Lochs bosses to close down both is “a health and safety nightmare” and an “accident waiting to happen.”

Mary Duncan, 77, says she likes to meet her friends at Wee Betty’s café every day to do shopping and catch up, but is finding it hard to do so any more.

Glasgow Times: The lift and escalators are out of action at The Lochs in Easterhouse

“The lifts and escalators have been off for months,” she said. “I have mobility problems, so I really struggle on the stairs.

“I have to come to the shops by car, like many people, and the only way up from the car park to the shops is the stairs now. You can’t park near the other entrances because of the trolleys and the taxis.

“It’s exhausting for me, I have to sit down when I get to the top, and there are a lot of other people worse off than I am.”

She added: “It’s actually stopping a lot of people going to The Lochs, I think – the place feels nearly empty.”

Glasgow Times: Angry shoppers outside The Lochs

Theresa Hart, 69, said many people had complained to the centre.

“They told us the escalator was shut off because there had been an accident, someone had taken a wheelchair on, but other shopping centres put up bollards to stop that kind of thing, couldn’t they just do the same thing here?” she said.

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“Why isn’t the lift working? Someone told us it was because it was too old and they couldn’t get the parts but that’s ridiculous.

“Climbing the stairs is a nightmare when your mobility isn’t that good, especially if you’re carrying bags of shopping. You’re not going to go for your big shop there any more.”

She added: “I’ve seen people trying to carry walking frames up the stairs, there’s going to be a bad accident. People are angry, because it’s ridiculous in this day and age not to have a lift or escalator working.”

Glasgow Times: The lift and escalators are out of action

The Lochs owners, City Property Glasgow (Investments) LLP said: “We understand that this is frustrating for our customers, and whilst some visitors with mobility issues may not be able to currently use this entrance, there are two other accessible entrances which, if using the car park, would be a short distance to travel.

“We appreciate that this may not be suitable for everyone and we are working to resolve the issues with the lifts and escalators.”

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They added: “The lifts went out of service in February 2024 and whilst they were repaired and operational again for a short period, they have since gone out of service once again.

“Due to the age of the equipment and supply issues, the required parts are unfortunately difficult to source.

“Parts have been on order and it is anticipated that repair works will commence next week.

“As part of the shopping centre’s health and safety procedures, the escalators are switched off when the lift is non-operational. This is to mitigate risk of customers utilising escalators with pushchairs, wheelchairs or shopping trolleys.

“We were advised of an accident and fully co-operated with the police investigation at the time.”