HMP Lindholme disabled access: 'Only lift' to Doncaster jail's visiting area has been broken for three months

A 95-year-old woman suffered "a severe angina attack" after visiting a South Yorkshire prison because the only lift there has been broken for months.

The elevator for visitors to HMP Lindholme in Doncaster, which is the only one of its kind serving disabled people, has been broken since October, The Star understands.

Without it, disabled and elderly visitors have been struggling or even completely unable to see their family and friends serving time inside.

A Prison Service spokesperson claims they have been aware of the issue since November and are carrying out "urgent work" to repair it, and are allowing visits on the ground floor in a designated area.

But one regular visitor, Colin Shaw, who visits his son every week, says the arrangement is "behind a glass screen with no personal contact and no refreshments," and asks why fixing the lift is taking so long.

Colin took his 95-year-old mother to see her grandson in October and says the experience left her severely ill and bedridden for weeks.

Colin said: "When we arrived we were informed the lift was out of order. My mother made it up two flights of stairs with help from myself and a prison officer.

"This really upset her, but worse was going back down.

"When we finally made it she had to sit down for a long time before she was okay for me to wheel her to my car.

"After this, mum was very ill for a fortnight and had a serious angina attack.

"I go every week to see my son and most of the officers know me and keep asking where mum is. She still can't visit her grandson because as I write the lift is still out of order.

"I've put four written complaints in as well as one to the governor. I've received no response at all. I find the situation disgraceful that there is no access available for disabled visitors and it's been out of order for four months. And to not to reply to my complaints is also pretty ignorant."

The Star put Colin's complaints to the Ministry of Justice, which said it was "working urgently" to fix the lift and added visitors "are asked if they need assistance when they book their visit to the prison."

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are urgently working to repair the visitor’s lift at HMP Lindholme.

“We know how important it is for prisoners to maintain family ties, which is why we are currently allowing people with accessibility issues to visit prisoners in an alternate space on the ground floor”.

HMP Lindholme is a Category C site for male only prisoners. In October, 85 years of prison time were handed down on 16 co-defendants for "the biggest ever prison drugs conspiracy", which even saw an on-site mental health worker assist in smuggling in smuggling over £1m worth of liquid spice, MDMA, ketamine, knives and phones into the institution.