'An awful experience' - Major supermarket apologises after 10 customers trapped in lift at Blackpool store

Jason Redshaw, a 53-year-old actor from the resort, was among the group and described it as “an awful experience I wouldn't wish on anyone”.

He said the lift at the Sainsbury's in Talbot Road made an "awful noise" before plunging down and then slamming to a halt, knocking those inside off their feet, at around 2pm on Monday. It was 4.10pm before the group were freed after the fire service was called.

Jason, who was shopping his partner David Charles-Cully, said: "There were 10 of us cramped in a small tin box with no fresh air, one gentleman recently diagnosed with heart failure slumped in one corner and me hammering my inhaler as I couldn't get my breath.

"Most of the lift passengers were older and very panicked. The emergency system in the lift didn't work properly and the engineer to help us was stuck in traffic. For the first hour we couldn't hear the staff and they couldn’t hear us, so communication was nil.

"The fire brigade after another hour were able to pass us a radio through the crack in the door and pass us much-needed drinks and some chocolate.

“Unbelievable that the fire brigade couldn't open the lift. After two hours, people were beginning to get angry as they kept saying 10 minutes and another 15 minutes would pass and nothing happened.

"Eventually they got the lift open but we were between floors and we had to sit on the floor and slide out with two firemen assisting our feet on to a makeshift bench as they had no stepladders, though I believe Sainsbury's do sell stepladders.

"It was an awful experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. You've seen them horror films when the lift drops as you are sliding out the narrow gap – that's all I could think about.”

Jason, who owns fancy dress and TV prop hire firm Cabaret Costumes, said he will "never get in a lift again" after the experience. He had parked on the first floor car park of the supermarket and got into the lift with his partner David to go down to the shopping area on the ground floor when the ordeal unfolded.

"As soon as the door closed we heard this awful kind of grinding, crunching noise as if something was scraping against the side of the elevator and we heard this noise from above," he said.

"I thought it sounded like the belt system was actually giving way, and then suddenly we felt as if the ground kind of fell away beneath us and as if basically we were dropping and that the system had just failed."

He said the lift's brakes then kicked in bringing it to a sudden and violent halt.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Our Blackpool store manager is in contact with the customers involved and has explained how sorry we are for their experience. The lift remains closed while this incident is fully investigated.

“Thankfully all of the customers involved confirmed they were okay, were offered refreshments and were checked over by the fire service as a precaution.”

None of the passengers suffered serious injuries in the incident.