Businesses rue cost of broken car park lifts

Businesses in a town centre have reported a "huge impact" from the failure of lifts in a multi-storey car park.

Five of the six lifts at the Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole, Dorset, are currently out of action.

Simon Stockdale, who owns Canvas Print, said he had noticed a 70% decline in footfall, while other shops also reported fewer customers.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council said it recognised there was "work to do to improve the condition of the lifts".

Initially, all six lifts were out of order, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Hope Dean, from Wild Roots houseplants, said she "definitely noticed a decrease" when the lifts broke three weeks ago.

Stockdale said: "BCP has a complete disdain for the people who need the lifts and for the people of Poole.

"We normally have a lot of customers who are in wheelchairs but this past week we have hardly seen any wheelchair users, so people aren't coming here."

Ian Davis, who runs Loope Vintage Fashion, agreed the number of customers had reduced by about 70%.

He said: "It is awful... There is only a handful of people around. It is absolutely outrageous."

Glenn Ricketts, from Trespass, said: "The lifts are having a huge impact. I have seen a 60% decrease in footfall."

Steve Wyatt, from Restored Retro, added: "It is like being kicked in the teeth when we are already down. It feels like this is tougher than it was during Covid."

A BCP spokesperson said: "We appreciate the concerns raised by businesses within the Dolphin Centre.

"It is important that residents and visitors requiring step-free access know there are other ways into the centre, such as parking on the ground floor, which has 40 disabled spaces and does not have any lifts or steps on the way to the shops.

"Higher levels in the car park have ramps into the Dolphin Centre, from which its own customer lifts can be accessed."