A Southampton tower block resident said she screamed ‘like she was being kidnapped’ after the lift she was in dropped unexpectedly.

Lesley Hamer was in the lift at Dumbleton Towers, in Thornhill, and was going to the ground floor when it suddenly dropped from the 13th floor to the 12th.

She said when she felt the drop, she was screaming for the lift to open and felt like she nearly had a heart attack.

The 48-year-old has previously spoken to the Echo about the block’s lift woes and issues with anti-social behaviour.

Southampton City Council has said its priority is the safety and wellbeing of residents and apologised for any inconvenience caused.

READ MORE: Residents up in arms over drug use and broken lifts in tower blocks

'My friend thought I was being kidnapped'

Speaking to the Echo, Lesley said: “I was on the phone to a neighbour when I was in the lift and when the lift dropped, she thought I was being kidnapped.”

When it happened, she panicked and all she could think about was leaving the lift.

She said: “I was going down from the 13th floor to the ground floor and it fell a whole floor. A message came up on the screen and said it was out of service.

“I was pressing the emergency button and it’s not letting me out.

“I was just screaming ‘let me out, let me out’. It was horrendous. I almost had a heart attack.”

She added: “I am sure it was only a matter of seconds, but it felt so long.”

Lesley, who has lived in the block of flats on Warburton Road for seven and a half years, said she has tried to raise the issue of faulty lifts with the council during residents' meetings.

But she said it gets fixed for a period of time before problems happening again.

She added: “It’s a matter of time before someone gets injured.”

A council spokesperson said: “An issue with the lift at Dumbleton Towers was reported to us on 19th February.

"Following safety checks, we can confirm that adjustments were made and the lift was returned to full service.

“Our priority is always the safety and wellbeing of residents. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to residents, and we will continue to work with our contractors to monitor the lift.”