Karen Copeland was on her way to a hairdressing appointment when she became trapped in the Numa Court lift on Saturday morning. She had wheeled her bicycle in beside her, pressed the ground floor button and felt herself start to descend. The lift went down 4 feet and then stopped abruptly. She pressed the button again. Nothing happened. She tried the button repeatedly with no effect.
Karen, a well-known and popular figure on the Dock, had found herself trapped in the same lift some time ago and so she knew it was important to remain calm and be patient. Realising she was stuck, she dialled security on her mobile and the ever-dependable Mohammed answered and moved swiftly into action. He called the lift engineer. The result was disappointing. They said it would be at least an hour before anyone could get there.
He hurried along to Numa Court. Outside temperature was sub-zero as he spoke to Karen through the lift door. Fortunately she was well wrapped up against the elements because she was intending to cycle.
'I'm okay,' she told him as various neighbours arrived on the scene and began to join in the muffled conversation. 'My mobile battery is low,' she said. 'So it's better if we just shout to one another.'
Impressively she tried to make light of her predicament. At 9.45 a neighbour called the fire brigade. They said they would not turn out if an engineer was on his way, as was apparently the case.
The neighbour called the lift company again, to get the expected time of arrival. This time a woman gave more details, seeming to say that the man was on a job in Grays, Essex - two hours away. That was unacceptable.
Another 999 call was made - and this time a fire engine was dispatched. Coming from Isleworth, it was delayed because the driver had not been told of the road works and the closure of London Road just outside Augustus Close.
Anyway, a big red tender pulled up outside Numa Court and a team of firefighters hurried up the stairs, carrying boxes of equipment. They had a large selection of keys and used one to open the exterior door, revealing the lift cage to be stuck just below the top floor. At their request Mohammed unlocked a wall ladder and used it to allow them to climb up on to the roof.
There they were able to access the lift shaft and the pulley system. Using brute force, they hauled the lift upwards by 4 feet until it was level with the top floor. Another officer eased open the door - to be greeted by a shriek of relief.
Karen gave him a big grin, stepped out and wrapped him in a grateful embrace, saying: 'Thank you, thank you. You've saved me!' She hugged all the fire team in turn and saved a special hug for Mohammed, for the wonderful work he had done.
The firefighters plodded back down the staircase. Just as they climbed back into their tender, a white van came speeding up - containing the lift engineer. Someone said to him: 'We thought you were in Grays, Essex. That's why we called the fire brigade.' The man shook his head. 'No way,' he said. 'We were in Grays Inn Road, Holborn. Anyway, we're glad she's out. We raced here. Do we get a hug as well?' But Karen had gone home.
