Elderly and disabled residents of a Llangefni block of flats are being left out in the cold and "deafened" because of council fire alarm procedures and service cuts.

When the fire alarm goes off in the five storey Anglesey County Council Glan Cefni flats residents are advised not to use the lift.

However, some of the residents, mainly over 65, some in their 80s and 90s, are unable to use stairs, even in an emergency.

In that situation, they are advised to go onto their balconies to await rescue.

Top floor resident Norman Roberts, 68, disabled with diabetes and walking difficulties has lived in the block for five years The dad of three said: "It is terrible when the fire alarm goes. It's deafening and it can be quite scary.

"I can't go down the stairs with my legs. I either have to go on the balcony in the freezing cold and wait or I'm stuck in my flat listening to the alarm ringing for hours on end when it is a false alarm. .

"It wasn't like this when we had a warden, they cut that service. The warden could just switch it off. The warden was fantastic, she looked out for everyone in these situations.

The former town centre flats live-in warden was Gwen Hughes - helped by her husband Iorweth - who supported the residents for 36 years. Aft "Sometimes someone's cooking burns, it's often a false alarm, we don't know what is going on sometimes, but we have to wait for ages with the alarm ringing until the council rings for someone from Snowdonia Fire Protection from Waunfawr to turn it off. The local fire service come, but they can't do it, they are not allowed." said Norman.

The last incident happened on Sunday, January 28 at 9.15am, when burnt toast triggered the alarm.

Now, 80-year-old Patricia Knox, who has lived in the flats for 11 years, has started a petition signed by 16 of the 18 residents.

"That Sunday it rang for an hour and quarter until 10.15am," she said.

An Isle of Anglesey County Council spokesperson said: “The Housing Service understands that residents of Glan Cefni flats contacted our specialist terms contractors, Snowdonia Fire Protection Ltd., following an alarm activation on the 28th January, 2018.

“We understand that alarm activations may be of concern and an inconvenience for residents. There have been four alarm activations at Glan Cefni to date during the current financial year. Furthermore, all these incidents were valid activations as opposed to false alarms. Our contractors are contractually obliged to attend site within 1 hour of a fire alarm activation. In reality, the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service will have attended site first in the event of a fire alarm activation and subsequent call-out.”

“The Housing Service operates a get out policy in the event of a fire alarm sounding and would urge tenants to comply with this important health and safety advice. Tenants were reminded of this policy during the summer by means of newsletters and joint visits with representatives of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to each home. We are committed to ensuring that our flats are as safe as possible and will continue to work with the Fire Service and our specialist contractors to ensure that they remain as safe as possible in the event of a fire.”

“In order to further clarify our recommendations and expectations in the event of a fire alarm the Housing Service will, in the near future, arrange for a residents meeting at Glan Cefni. We trust that this will give residents an opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have with relevant members of staff. This proposed event will also provide an opportunity to discuss concerns raised in respect of refuse collection and anti-social behaviour.”