AN inquest jury has found the death of a man who plunged five floors down a lift shaft after becoming trapped in the elevator was accidental — but highlighted the failure to maintain the occasionally faulty kit.

Craig Jones was in the lift with a friend at the apartment block where he lived, at Marsden House in Marsden Road, Bolton, when it broke down between floors.

The pair sounded the alarm without response but after prising open the doors the 27-year-old slipped through a gap and down the shaft.

The plasterer, who was nicknamed Pugsley, was taken to Salford Royal Hospital following the accident on August 30, 2014, but died five hours later.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded at Bolton Coroner's Court.

The victim's family will now pursue a civil claim against the building's property management company.

The jury foreman said: "Craig Jones died due to falling down the lift shaft of the middle lift in Marsden House when the lift broke down between the fourth and fifth floors.

"The lift broke down repeatedly. The instructions for raising the alarm were inadequate and unclear.

"There was an intermittent fault with the emergency communication system leading to trapped people trying to self rescue.

"There was a failure of the management company and the landlord to ensure that the lift worked correctly.

"There were inadequate monitoring procedures to ensure all parties responsible for the safety of persons using the lift, were aware of the condition of the lift.

"There were insufficient communications and/or audit trails between those managing the building, the owners and the caretaker to ensure that problems with the lift were addressed.

"All these factors led to Craig Jones attempting to escape from the lift and his death."

Coroner Jennifer Leeming said in her summing-up that she would be writing a report expressing her concerns, specifically over the continuing situation of the sometimes faulty lift and the unreliable emergency call button service.

After the hearing, Mr Jones' mother Samantha Jones, aged 47, said: "I am grateful to the jury and the coroner for their thorough investigation in to the circumstances surrounding the death of my son.

"I am at least comforted by the knowledge that action will now be taken to ensure the lift is properly maintained and that no one else will have to endure the pain I have had to go through."

Ms Jones' solicitor Clare Campbell, a serious injury specialist at Manchester-based law firm Leigh Day, said: "No amount of compensation can make-up for the loss of a son.

"This was an accident that should never have happened and we will now be pursuing an action on behalf of Craig's mother against the company which manages and maintains the building."

The inquest heard that just three weeks ago a 25-year-old woman became stuck in the same lift for two hours and had to be rescued by firefighters.