Disabled Brighton woman desperate for door repair by Hyde

Anna Rayan, 71, of St Peter’s Street in Brighton, has told The Argus how Hyde housing association neglected her requests for a new electrically assisted door, after her old one stopped working.

Anna, who uses an electric wheelchair, was told in January that an issue with her front door’s electric mechanism could not be repaired, and required replacing.

Now, her door has still not been replaced, and she says the weight of opening it manually is unbearable.

Anna has not left her home in four days.

The electrical opener on Anna's door has been broken since January

“I don’t go out much now, and my dog won’t go out with anybody else,” said Anna.

“Last week my back went trying to open the door to let my little dog out and steer my wheelchair out at the same time. So now I’ve got painkillers for my back.

“If a fire broke out, I would never get the door open to get out in time.”

She contacted Hyde again in February, and was told that her request was “in the system to be assessed for the finances”, but they could not confirm when her door would be replaced.

The broken mechanism previously used to open the front door

“I’ve emailed them, I’ve emailed them, and I’ve emailed them – no answer," said Anna.

“I put a complaint in, and they said they were dealing with it, but they haven’t done anything about that."

Anna has a small backgarden, though is unable to access it due to the style of door, and its slope.

She contacted the housing association three further times, and on each occasion was told her request was being dealt with, but she was not given a timeframe.

Anna, a surviour of breast cancer, said that she had not eaten from Wednesday, March 2, until Sunday, March 6, due to the stress of the situation.The Argus contacted Hyde housing association for their response.

Jack Bernard, Hyde’s head of fire safety and delivery said: “Firstly, I would like to apologise to Ms Rayan.

“I know how upsetting this situation is and we want to get her door fixed as soon as possible. We were called out to Ms Rayan’s home in November 2021, and we fixed the initial issue with her door. However, other issues were found, and we ordered the necessary parts.

Anna had not eaten in days due to stress

“There is currently a global issue with manufacturers supplying parts and we weren’t able to install these parts until January 2022. Unfortunately, we then found that the door was beyond repair and an entirely new system was required. But again, there have been further delays from manufacturers.

“We are aware of the urgency of Ms Rayan’s situation and are now sourcing alternative materials, and will be able to provide a date of installation by the end of this week.”

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One hour and eight minutes after The Argus received this initial response, a spokeswoman from Hyde made contact once more, and said: “We have now managed to source the parts to fix Ms Rayan’s door and are working with her to arrange a date to carry out the works.”

Anna is now due to see her door repaired next week.