Prospective residents in a street in Pembroke are trying to move in but are finding that the only way to move in requires them to carry all their belongings on their backs, across a courtyard and up the stairs.

This can be done in the case of a chair or two, but hardly in the case of a bed or a wardrobe. And how do you get a bath up the stairs?

The residents will eventually live in Block A9 in Triq Pietru Darmenia.

Their residences are built in a U-shape around a central courtyard, but the way the block has been designed, no car can enter the courtyard to unload since the courtyard has been raised three steps from street level.

There are two narrow entrances on the side, but these are too narrow for cars and trucks.

And the courtyard itself is full of building debris, as it seems there are plans to turn it into a garden.

Some future residents have tried to get lifters from the back, but here again their efforts were thwarted this time by a strip of soil on which no lifter could be stood.

And just to make everything even more impossible, the residents of at least one block were due to get a lift in their apartments but some weeks ago they were abruptly told the lift would not be operational for some time as some parts had been stolen.

Which is why one could see, yesterday afternoon, some residents patiently carrying what pieces of furniture they could through the courtyard and up some 60 steps.