Baker’s 13-hour lift-trap ordeal

STUCK . . . Brian Ellerkar

A CHADDERTON baker was trapped in a lift at work for 13 hours — and only rescued thanks to his frantic wife.

Brian Ellerkar, of Ripon Close, has worked as a bakery operative at Park Cake, in Hathershaw, for seven years.

During his shift on Saturday, the 51-year-old was in the lift when it stopped between floors.

Brian pressed the alarm, but it didn’t work and his attempts to attract fellow workers were useless.

When he failed to return home at 12pm, Mignon, his wife of 26 years became worried and called the Ashton Road factory.

Security officers paged Brian but, when there was no response, told Mignon he must have left — even though his car was in the car park.

Mignon became so concerned she phoned police who called the factory and asked security to conduct a full search for Brian. He was eventually discovered banging on the lift walls.

Brian, who says he is suffering stress and anxiety, has returned to work but is wary of using the lift.

He said: “If I was a single man I could have spent the weekend in the lift. I am so grateful to my wife for persevering and getting the police involved because it was what saved me. I dread to think about what the consequences would have been if there had been a fire because no one knew I was in the lift and no one seemed to notice I had gone.

“Nobody has apologised for what I had to go through. The whole system failed me from the alarm button that wasn’t working to the security men who presumed I had left the building without checking properly.

Nobody from Park Cake was available for comment.