‘Lack of safety’ for customers at store
Man voices his concerns with lifts at Sainsbury’s
A Slough man says an accident is waiting to happen at the Sainsbury’s store in Uxbridge Road, which has seen its lifts out of action for several months.
Mick McCoy was notified by his sister – who is disabled and needs access to the lifts to reach the elevated shopping floor – that the facilities had been out of action for some time.
He took to social media to voice his concerns and has also visited the supermarket himself to raise the issue with staff, but he has been met with resistance from colleagues.
Mick, whose brother also requires use of the lifts, told the Express something needs to be done before a serious accident occurs at the superstore.
He added wheelchair and pushchair users have been forced to use the travelator, despite warning signs advising these shoppers not to use them.
Meanwhile, his sister was offered the use of the goods lift, used to transport stock to and from different levels, which he says goes against health and safety policy.
Sainsbury’s says that the lifts require ‘specialist maintenance’ and will be up and running ‘as soon as possible’.
“I took to social media and just started counting the days – it has been months,” Mick said.
“There is no information or communication as to when these lifts will be back.
“I just started to pay more of an interest to the point when I was looking at how people were getting in.”
When he asked staff for more information, one colleague ‘shrugged their shoulders’ and was none the wiser, Mick said.
He added that friends have witnessed elderly people with walking frames navigating the stairs, with members of the public stepping in to aid them.
“Someone needs to put a rocket under them because this will just sit on the backburner,” Mick said.
“I find it a coincidence that both customer lifts are waiting for parts. If it was the goods lift they would have it fixed by now.
“Nothing is stopping you putting some communication up to a small percentage of customers. There is a take it or leave it attitude.”
Mick claimed that the absence of lifts shows a ‘lack of safety for customers’ and added his siblings use the store due to it being their closest branch.
The next nearest Sainsbury’s – in Farnham Road – closed earlier this year.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “The lifts at our Slough Uxbridge Road Superstore require specialist maintenance and are temporarily unavailable.
“We’re working hard to ensure they’re up and running as soon as possible and would like to thank our customers for their patience while we complete this work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”