Broken lift at Lancaster Vue cinema continues to cause problems for people living with disabilities

The venue, which is accessed off Church Street or Market Square, has six screens, with just two of those on the ground floor.

Cinema-goers have previously complained that the lift at the venue has been out of order for "months".

And the lift has now broken down once again, and has been left unfixed for several weeks.

Lancaster resident and wheelchair user Melissa Parker said she was frustrated by the “unacceptable” length of time the lift at Vue has been out of action.

“I’m a regular customer, having been one for many years,” she said. “It’s such a warm and friendly environment, and the experience of going to the cinema has always been my favourite hobby.

"I’m a full-time wheelchair user and have been since birth when I had a stroke; being a regular visitor, I noticed that the lift wasn’t working once, and I understood.

“I got it; I even strategically planned a visit so that I could utilise the ground floor screens.

“The staff were warm and accommodating, but I noticed that when I went back to book one of my favourite films, Clueless, as a re-release, the same message appeared – ‘The lift in this venue is currently out of order. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused and are working towards fixing this as soon as possible.’

“That’s been up for weeks. This can’t be OK. I’m a disabled journalist, so I’m used to writing about access – I worry that unless someone complains, Vue will continue to do nothing, and that message will stay up – they have left the lift broken for long periods before.

"I love the cinema and have many fond memories there – in that bright orange lift, too. But this isn’t acceptable.”

A Vue spokesperson said: “We apologise to any customers affected as a result of the lift in our Lancaster site being out of service.

"We have been working with engineers and now require the assistance of specialists to resolve the issue and are working hard to do so as quickly as possible.

"In the meantime, screens 1 and 2 in the venue remain fully accessible.”