"City fans were chanting it's falling down - and they’re not wrong": Manchester United fan hits out after 'harrowing' Old Trafford ordeal

A 'traumatised' Manchester United fan who was left trapped in the Old Trafford lifts has hit out over the maintenance of his team's home ground.

Tony Percival, who suffers from a heart condition, says the incident ‘was nothing short of harrowing’ when he and nine other fans realised the lift abruptly stopped functioning. The lift suddenly stopped as the fans left Old Trafford during the final ten minutes of the Manchester derby on Sunday (October 29), which United lost 3-0.

Tony said that he and many fans with health problems tend to leave the games earlier to avoid large crowds and rely on the lift. However, after a few minutes of being trapped, he said the situation ‘grew increasingly distressing’ given the majority those inside also suffered from various health conditions, he said.

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“To our horror, the lift abruptly ceased functioning," he told the Manchester Evening News.

“It grew increasingly distressing and one lady began to cry. My daughter who’s claustrophobic was in the lift with me because I needed assistance. I hated putting her in that situation.”

After the alarm was raised, 15 minutes later the doors opened and the 10 fans only had the option to walk downstairs. One lady from the lift fell to the floor and suffered from COPD, a breathing-related illness, and a steward was called for first aid.

“It is unfathomable that supporters with known health concerns were subjected to such an ordeal due to a malfunctioning lift," Tony said.

“If there was an emergency and we needed to evacuate, how would we have escaped? The incident