Residents of Chamberlaine Court are breathing a sigh of relief this week as an important life line into the town has finally been restored.

After months of laying inoperative, the single person lift, situated by Tooleys Boatyard, has been repaired allowing elderly and partially mobile people, or those who use a wheelchair, access to Castle Quay without having to navigate their way around to one of the other access points on the opposite side of the shopping centre.

Campaigning for the repair has been Banbury Town Councillor Surinder Dhesi who has been trying to get a response from Castle Quay owners, Cherwell District Council regarding the lift’s repair for some time to no avail.

“I contacted CDC and they said they would get back to me, but nobody got back to me,” said the councillor.

The problem seemed to be obtaining the specific spare part for the lift’s repair which had to be ordered from Germany. Three months after the lift ceased operating the part arrived and has now been fitted.

It has come as a relief to the older residents of Chamberlaine Court who live directly opposite the lift entrance, and Castle Quay is as much as opportunity to socialise as it is about accessing the shops.