A BROKEN lift at a Cowley shopping centre has been called a ‘nightmare’ for disabled people, who are forced to use an outdoor route if they need the toilet.

Templars Square Shopping Centre, which is set to be subject to a £60m revamp by developer NewRiver, has been without a working lift for almost six months.

Signs at the Between Towns Road complex state: “A major component has failed and the lift has been declared beyond repair. A new lift will be installed but this will take approximately three months to complete.”

Kathleen Horsfall, from Wheatley, said: “They say three months but it must go back almost six months at this point. It would be more useful if they said an actual date it would be fixed.”

She is a regular visitor with her 89-year-old mother Nancy, who uses a wheelchair.

The 63-year-old said: “It’s a nightmare. People with wheelchairs, trolleys or pushchairs have no way to get to the toilets without going outside and coming in another entrance.

“There isn’t even any sign at the far entrance to let people know so they walk all the way down to the lift before they see it’s broken and then need to turn around go all the way back and leave the building.

“When you’ve got the elderly and disabled that just isn’t fair, especially when you have rain and cold weather.”

Councillor David Henwood, who represents the area, said the situation 'simply isn’t good enough' and was liaising with the developer.

He added:“The lift has had numerous problems this year, which means disabled access from one floor to another has been temperamental at the best of times.

“I’m told by NewRiver that the immediate area will be refurbished, including better toilet facilities. "However, we haven’t been given an indication when work will start.”

A spokesperson for NewRiver said: “The closure of the lift is a result of an unfortunate issue that is beyond our control but was already under investigation and we have arranged for works to begin shortly to resolve this.

“In addition, the refurbishment of the facilities will provide the improvements to bring to a standard our customers expect.”

The developer thanked customers for their patience.

Plans were approved in July to build more than 200 new homes, shops, a 71-bed hotel and two new restaurants at Templars Square, as well as demolish the 470-space Castle Car Park – all while retaining the 1960s shopping centre.

The issue of accessibly to Oxford’s buildings for disabled people was also highlighted recently at the revamped central library.

The building was given a £6m refurbishment as part of the Westgate Centre development but when Suzi Horsley, from Headington, attempted to visit the library over Christmas she found her wheelchair could not fit in the lifts which have not been updated in the project.