A WOMAN stuck in a Job Centre lift for more than an hour claims she was left “traumatised” by her experience.

Melanie Holiday, 40, was visiting the Bondgate Job Centre, in Darlington, last Thursday (May 23) when a power cut left her stranded alone in a lift.

She claims her father was forced to call the fire brigade to free her after staff refused to, telling her she would have to wait for an engineer to travel from Newcastle instead.

Miss Holiday, from Darlington, said: “It was alright at first but when I realised I was going to be in there for a length of time, I started to panic.

“I tried to control myself as I knew if I let it get to me, I’d be putting myself in more danger. They could not get to me and I started to think of my little girl outside and got really dizzy and shaky.

“There was nobody there to help me and nobody was talking to me, everyone seemed to disappear and leave me.

“I could not sleep that night as every time I closed my eyes I was in the lift again. I even had chest pains.”

A spokeswoman for the Job Centre said: “There was a power cut which affected the lift. The lady was stuck for an hour, which was not very pleasant.

“As soon as the lift stuck, we contacted maintenance people who arranged immediately for an engineer to come out but the customer’s father rang the fire brigade before staff could do it.

“Staff followed protocol and a member of staff stayed by the lift and continually reassured the customer throughout the situation.”