Broken lift at Lancaster Vue cinema ruins nights out for people living with disabilities

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

And visitors have complained that the lift at the venue has been out of order for "months".

Neuro DropIn, which provides support for people affected by neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and Parkinson's, tweeted that the situation at the cinema was "making access impossible for most people with physical disability... spoiling planned social events and not helped by comments like 'it's only 7/8 short flights of stairs'."

Charity founder Sharon Jackson said when visiting last week, staff told them the lift had been out of order for "a couple of weeks."

However, she said that since then she has heard from many people that it has not worked for months.

"Although I got a refund on the night this was poor recompense for a ruined social event," she said.

Comments from group members included "I daren't go as the lift is not working and I will get turned away" and "I really wanted to see this film but can't access the screening."

Sharon added: "No one at the Vue seemed concerned that disabled people (there were two of us in our party of three) were unable physically to get upstairs.

"Another point is that had we got upstairs with or without assistance and a fire broke out how on earth would we have got down?

"I am booked again in advance to take children to see a film. I have paid for tickets to attend the Vue but won't get a refund until we turn up on the night and find the lift is still out of order!”

"I am forced to rebook at a different cinema just so that I can arrange in advance as I have to do, as spontaneity and disability do not make good companions!"

The Guardian reported in 2016 how the cinema's lift had been out of order for "up to two years".

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

"The required replacement parts are currently being manufactured and we hope to be in a position to complete the repairs as soon as possible.

"Two screens in the venue remain fully accessible and our priority is to ensure the most popular and varied content is available for all customers to view in them.”