Escalator & Lift Removal Services in London & across the UK
Over 30 years of experience in demolition, soft strips and professional lift decommissioning
At Feltham Demolition Services, we’ve been safely dismantling and removing vertical and horizontal lift and escalator systems across London and the South East for years. From hospitals and transport hubs to retail spaces and commercial buildings, we handle complex removals with minimal disruption and full compliance with UK health and safety regulations.
Whether you’re refurbishing a shopping centre, redeveloping an office block, or preparing a building for demolition, removing old escalators and lift systems is specialist work that needs proper expertise. We can remove the following:
Elevator / Lift Removal
- Standard Passenger Lifts
- High-Speed Lift, Panoramic / Glass Lifts
- Machine Room-Less (MRL) Lifts
- Goods Lift / Freight Lifts
- Service Lift, Heavy-Duty Industrial Lifts
- Hospital / Bed Lifts
- Dumbwaiter Hatch Lifts
- Car Lifts (Vehicle Lift)
- Platform Lifts (Wheelchair Lift)
Escalator Removal
- Wooden escalators
- Parallel (Up & Down) Escalators
- Multiple Parallel Escalators (High-Traffic Banks)
- Crisscross Escalators (Scissor Style)
- Continuous Loop Escalator Layout
- Spiral Escalators
- Curved Escalators, Heavy-Duty / Transit Escalators
- Outdoor Escalators, Wide Step Escalators (High Capacity)
- Indoor Escalators, Outdoor Weather-Protected Escalators
- Temporary / Construction Escalators
What Does Escalator & Lift Removal Actually Involve?
It’s more than just pulling out a cabin or cutting up some steps. These systems are deeply integrated into a building’s structure, so removal requires careful planning, structural awareness, and the right equipment.
When we remove an escalator, we’re dealing with:
- Steps, chains and all the roller mechanisms
- The entire truss and supporting framework
- Balustrades and handrails
- Drive motors and gearboxes tucked away in machine rooms
- Control panels and safety systems
Lift car removal involves:
- The lift cabin itself and its frame
- Heavy counterweights and guide rails running the height of the shaft
- Motors and drive systems
- All the control panels and wiring
- Door operators at each landing
Both jobs need proper lifting plans, engineering support, and a solid understanding of how these systems connect to floors, shafts, and surrounding structures. Get it wrong and you risk serious damage or safety issues.
Why Would You Need to Remove a Lift or Escalator?
There are plenty of reasons buildings need these systems taken out:
- End of life — the equipment’s reached the point where replacement makes more sense than repair
- Layout changes — you’re reconfiguring floors or creating new spaces
- Upgrades — newer, more efficient systems are going in
- Refurbishment or demolition — the building’s getting a major overhaul or coming down entirely
- Safety concerns — compliance issues or structural problems
- Repurposing shafts — maybe you’re converting that lift shaft into something else, or infilling it altogether
Whatever the reason, we make sure the removal is done safely, cleanly, and leaves your site ready for the next phase.
How We Handle Escalator & Lift Removals
1. Site Survey & Planning
Every job starts with a thorough site inspection. We need to understand what we’re working with before we start cutting or lifting anything.
We’ll produce detailed Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) that cover:
- Shaft conditions and structural openings
- Load-bearing elements we need to protect
- Access routes and lifting requirements (including crane positions if needed)
- Power isolation procedures
- Fire safety measures
- How we’ll protect the rest of the building if it’s still in use
2. Safe Isolation
Before anyone touches a spanner, all electrical and mechanical systems are properly isolated by qualified personnel. Lifts and escalators are locked off, de-energised, and certified safe. No shortcuts, no assumptions.
3. Controlled Dismantling
This is where the real work happens, and it’s all done methodically.
For escalators:
- Balustrades are carefully removed
- Steps and chain systems dismantled
- Motors and gearboxes lifted out
- Truss sections cut into manageable pieces and craned out
For lift cars:
- The cabin is removed from the shaft
- Counterweights come out in controlled stages (these are heavy and awkward)
- Guide rails are dismantled section by section
- Machine-room equipment stripped out
- Landing doors and operators removed from each floor
All lifting work uses LOLER-compliant equipment, and everything’s done to certified lifting plans. Safety first, always.
4. Recycling & Site Clearance
We’re not just about removal — we’re about doing it responsibly.
Materials are segregated on site:
- Steel and metals go for recycling
- Electrical components are disposed of safely and legally
- Shafts and voids are left clean, safe, and ready for whatever comes next
If you need the shaft infilled or prepared for new installations, we can sort that too.
Why Work With Feltham Demolition Services?
We know internal demolition.
Lifts and escalators are complicated, awkward, and often in tight spaces. We’ve been doing this long enough to know where the challenges are before we start.
We’re used to working in live buildings.
Need us to work around tenants, shoppers, or hospital operations? We do it regularly, using strict safety controls and phased working schedules. Removing lifts from working buildings is not an issue.
We’re environmentally responsible.
Everything that can be recycled, is. Everything else is disposed of properly and legally.
We Operate Nationwide
While we are based in Middlesex, our lift decommissioning experts operate across the UK. No matter where your lift need taking down, we can help.
Full UK Compliance (Because It Matters)
All our lift and escalator removal work complies with current UK legislation, including:
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- CDM Regulations 2015
- LOLER 1998 (lifting equipment)
- PUWER 1998 (work equipment)
- Working at Height Regulations 2005
- Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
- Environmental Protection Act 1990
Our team is fully trained, insured, and equipped with appropriate PPE. We also have proper rescue procedures in place for confined space and shaft work — because these aren’t environments you take lightly.
What Our Customers Say
Get a Quote for Your Lift or Escalator Removal Project
Need a lift car removed? Planning an escalator decommissioning? Get in touch with Feltham Demolition Services today for a free site survey and no-obligation quotation.
Contact us now to discuss your project.
Common Questions About Lift & Escalator Removal
Here are some common questions we often get asked about our lift decommissioning projects. We hope you find them useful and informative.
Can you remove just the lift car, or do you take out the whole system?
We can do either. Sometimes clients just need the cabin out; other times it’s the full system including motors, rails, counterweights, and controls. We’ll work to whatever your project needs.
Is it possible to do this work while the building's still occupied?
Absolutely. We carry out removals in operational buildings all the time. We use safety barriers, phased working, and strict access controls to keep everything safe and minimise disruption.
How long does a typical removal take?
It depends on the size and complexity, but most projects take between 1 and 7 days. Single lifts in straightforward locations are quicker; multi-storey escalators or multiple lift shafts take longer.
What happens to the shaft once everything's out?
That’s up to you. We can make it safe and leave it open, prepare it for infilling, or get it ready for new lift installations. Just let us know what’s next and we’ll leave it in the right condition.
Do you handle all the waste and recycling?
Yes, we do. It’s all part of the service. We segregate materials on site, recycle what we can, and dispose of everything else in line with UK environmental law.
Get A Free Quote
For an experienced demolition and groundworks contractor in London, Surrey, Egham, Staines, Twickenham, Woking and the surrounding areas, give us a call on 0203 725 4240.
Contact us now to get quote
