FOR two long weeks, John and Denise Garner have been hauling themselves up the stairs on their hands and knees every time they wished to use the bathroom.

Why? Because the council has failed to fix their stairlift.

It would be hard to conceive a more effective way to strip an elderly couple of their dignity.

Mr and Mrs Garner have serious health problems, but they managed to maintain their independent lifestyle at home in Spalding Avenue, York, thanks to the stairlift.

Without it, their first floor bathroom and bedroom are a mountain climb away. So when the stairlift broke down, they contacted the council, assuming its repair would be treated as a priority.

Scandalously, the council did not respond with any sense of urgency. Officials either failed to understand the seriousness of the situation, or allowed the crisis to become mired in bureaucracy.

Either way, the council's inaction is unforgivable. It left these two frail pensioners to drag themselves up and down the stairs. With Mr Garner's myriad of health problems, it came as a shock, but no real surprise, to learn that he has been rushed to hospital.

City of York Council's efforts to deal with the problem can only be described as pitiful. A contractor was despatched to look at the stairlift on Monday last week. He could not fix it. It was not until Saturday that another engineer called round. The stairlift has since been removed, and it could be a month before a replacement is fitted.

The council says it has only recently become aware of the full details of the Garners' situation. That is no excuse. Officers had a duty as landlord - and as human beings - to find out whether Mr and Mrs Garner were coping, and how they could help.

The shameful complacency shown in this case will worry many other elderly residents. The council has belatedly offered its fullest assistance to the Garners. Its next priority must be to make changes to ensure no other residents suffer in the same way.

Updated: 10:47 Thursday, February 27, 2003