THE mother of a boy who suffered horrific foot injuries in an accident on an escalator is battling for 'justice' more than five years on.

Nishala Hird, of Carnforth, said she wanted to see ‘accountability, responsibility and some sort of human decency' from the companies she was attempting to sue.

She says son Euan, now 12, is on daily pain medication, is unable to walk extended distances and is receiving psychological treatment.

In 2015, Euan was stuck for nearly three hours after his right foot became trapped in an escalator at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping, a mall in Durban, South Africa.

Euan described how his life had changed since the accident, saying: “Ever since then I couldn’t really do any sport - apart from swimming.

“I’d always be the one to sit out of stuff and not really do any sport.

"[The foot] gets really swollen. It goes grey, purple.”

Mrs Hird said she put down a deposit of 350,000 rand (about £17,400) and 75,000 rand (about £3,700) in order to sue Schindler Lifts and Old Mutual Property, respectively.

She said that, after five years, Old Mutual Property informed her it managed the shopping centre rather than owned it.

“They dragged everything out, they incurred costs,” she said.

Sakina Nosarka, head of retail at Old Mutual Property, said the company was 'deeply sorry' about the trauma caused to the family but had 'certainly not misled' Mrs Hird about the owners of the building.

Ms Nosarka said that, 'as early as December 2015', Old Mutual Limited's insurer had informed Mrs Hird's former attorneys via e-mail that Old Mutual Property was the managing agent of the Gateway Theatre of Shopping and not the owner.

"While the legal case is still under consideration and hence sub judice, Old Mutual Property can confirm that it investigated the incident and is satisfied that it cannot be held liable," she said.

A spokeswoman for Schindler said: "Keeping our passengers, customers, and employees safe is paramount to the way we operate, and serious injuries like the one described are shocking.

"We investigated the accident immediately at the time and found the child’s shoe got caught while playing on the escalator.

"There was no technical issue at fault."

The Hird family denies that Euan, who goes to Lancaster Royal Grammar School, was behaving in an inappropriate manner on the escalator.

Mrs Hird said there had been no 'empathy' from the organisations she held responsible.

“I think it’s disgusting really. The reality of the whole thing is just how a big corporation goes about sidelining the customers that provide footfall for their establishment."

Old Mutual Property says that the Gateway Theater of Shopping is owned by K2012150042 (South Africa) Pty Ltd (K2012), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company, and is represented by Old Mutual Property.