Estates and Facilities Management service disruptions

Lift 3 (the goods lift) at Western Bank Library is currently out of service due to a lighting fault within the lift car.

Our lift contractor, ANSA, has attended and the necessary replacement parts are on order. We will provide a further update, including an estimated timescale for repair, as soon as this information is available.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience while the repair is completed.

Over the weekend there has been a major leak from E78 significantly impacting the areas below, corridors and stairwells. The water has been isolated to the equipment causing the leak however the team are on site making the area safe. The building is currently closed. 

Update: 29/06/26 16:00 - Work has continued throughout the day with drain holes being created in several bulkheads that were holding water back ; It will take some time for the walls/woodwork etc to fully dry out before redecoration can be considered.

Further information will be provided as it becomes available .

Monday 13th July – Paternoster Lift: Planned Insurance Inspection

The Paternoster lift will be out of service on Monday 13th July while it undergoes its scheduled bi-annual insurance inspection. This inspection is expected to take the majority of the day.

Lifts 1 and 2 will remain in operation as normal throughout.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience during this essential inspection.

We are aware of an issue with access to some university buildings. 

Currently swipe cards are not working in the Wave, Information Commons, Firth Court, 9 Mappin, Regent Court and at the AMRC site. 

All other buildings should be accessible, but we are currently doing checks across the estate. Please let Security know if you are experiencing any problems at a building not listed above. This can be done via Safezone, calling 0114 222 4085 or email security@sheffield.ac.uk 

We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. We will keep you updated.

Update 02/07/2026 08:00

There remains no or limited access to some buildings. Please continue to check this web page with further information and updates: https://sheffield.ac.uk/incidents/current#access-to-university-buildings

Update 02/07/2026 08:27

Access should now be returning to normal across the estate. However, there may be some issues up until around 10am as access is restored.

Update 02/07/2026 13:00

Access issues are continuing at some buildings across the estate, beyond the timeframe previously indicated. Gough & Kelly are now investigating the fault with our swipe card system.

We apologise for the ongoing disruption and thank you for your patience.

We will provide a further update as soon as we have more information.

Update 02/07/2026 15:25

Access is now gradually returning to normal across the estate as the fault is resolved. Some buildings may still experience intermittent issues while access is fully restored.

Please continue to report any problems to the EFM Helpdesk, by calling 0114 222 9000, or by emailing E-mail efmhelpdesk@sheffield.ac.uk.

Thank you for your patience while this issue has been resolved. 

The Paternoster has been withdrawn from service again following the identification of an additional fault yesterday, shortly after being reinstated.

Lift 2 in the Art Tower is out of service. The list has been isolated and an ANSA engineer is on site and will attend as soon as possible.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Please be advised that Lift 2 is currently out of service for essential repairs. A specific component requires specialist remanufacturing, and we have already sent the part for urgent processing.

We are treating this repair as a priority and will provide a confirmed timeline as soon as the workshop completes their inspection. Thank you for your patience.

Lift 01 in 1201- Geography building has been isolated and put out of service following a fault.  Required parts have been ordered and will be fitted asap. 

The lift was put back into action.

Lift 1 has been isolated by external contractors due to a fault. They are awaiting parts and aiming to have this back in operation by Friday evening. 

Update 30/01/2026: The lift is back in operation.