Escalator drama at Cumbernauld Centre after man is injured on broken structure

Ambulance personnel rushed to the scene after horrified shoppers witnessed the scene at the broken down escalator near Argos.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed: “We received a call on November 11 at 1057 hours to attend an incident at Cumbernauld Centre. We dispatched one ambulance to the scene and transported one male patient to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.”

Since then, the Cumbernauld News has been contacted by a concerned individual who not only brought this incident to our attention but has claimed that a man suffered a heart attack on the same escalator last week as he attempted to climb the steep metal stairs.

And they have claimed that the next incident may be even worse than the two that they has flagged up to date, potentially with tragic consequences.

Our source claimed “The Centre Cumbernauld are putting lives at risk.

"The escalator that takes customers down to the ground floor was out of order for over three months and was blocked off meaning customers would have to use the ramp which is difficult on the elderly and disabled to go down.

“The escalator is still broken down has been reopened and a sign erected for shoppers, saying go down at your own risk.

"When questioning staff why the escalator has not been repaired they have no answer and security staff say kids press the button on the escalator and that's why it's not getting fixed. The elderly are being forced to climb down this dangerous contraption and it's only a matter of time before someone dies falling from this."

These comments were put to centre management and spokesperson said: “The escalator repairs have involved the creation of specialist parts and the appointed contractor has advised that these should be completed within the next two to three weeks when both escalators will be up and running again. In the meantime there is a ramp walkway directly adjacent for the public to use.”