Is this progress?

It is now six weeks since the KM Group took up the cudgel on behalf of frustrated Sainsbury's shoppers and asked the retailer to fix the escalators along side the Maidstone store in Romney Place.

They have not worked in all that time, and angry shoppers say they have only worked intermittently for some two years.

Now the store has erected barriers at the top and bottom of the steps, so that people can't walk up or down them.

The alternative of the lift, also owned by Sainsbury's, has not worked for over a year.

This week Sainsbury's came in for further criticism from High Street ward councillor Clive English (Lib Dem) for allowing the area to become a "grot spot."

He said the staff at One Maidstone, the organisation that seeks to promote Maidstone as a business and shopping centre, had eventually stepped in to clear the Sainsbury's site themselves, removing dozens of bags of "grot, detritus and drug needles."

Cllr English said a survey of his ward residents had revealed the situation around Sainsbury's to be one of their biggest concerns.

Ashleigh Kimmance, a Maidstone taxi driver who is standing for election in Heath Ward in May, said: "It's just not good enough. If this were an escalator on the London Underground, it would be fixed the same day. Why not here?"

Instead, with neither the lift nor the escalator working, mothers with pushchairs, and disabled people on mobility scooters were being forced to cross the bus lanes of Maidstone Bus Station if they wanted to enter the adjacent Mall shopping centre.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said the company was looking to have the escalators and lift fixed as soon as possible.

Last year, Sainsbury's made £503 million profit and its chief executive officer, Mike Coupe, with salary, benefits and pension rights, was paid a package worth £2.349m.