Disruption continues at a major city landmark as its lift will remain out of action until the new year.

The external lift, encased in a glass box, was smashed more than two weeks ago and is closed to the public following the damage.

Smashed glass panels can still be seen from other parts of the castle grounds.

Norwich Evening News: Norwich Castle's lift is out of actionNorwich Castle's lift is out of action

The operations team at the castle is continuing to investigate the cause of the damage.

It was originally hoped that the lift would be back to full working order by the end of November and the castle is working with its contractors to "resolve the problem as quickly as possible."

But now a spokeswoman from Norfolk Museums Service has confirmed that the equipment would not be back up and running ahead of the new year.

Norwich Evening News: A close-up shot of the damaged glass of the lift at Norwich Castle on December 8A close-up shot of the damaged glass of the lift at Norwich Castle on December 8 (Image: George Thompson)

The team at Norwich Castle stressed that step-free access to the attraction is still available, via Farmers Avenue, while repair work is underway.

The damage comes during a multi-million pound revamp of Norwich Castle's keep in the Grade I listed building.

A spokeswoman for Norfolk Museums Service added: "I’m afraid we can’t put a date yet on when it’ll be fixed other than to say, unfortunately, it won’t be before Christmas.

"We’re working with contractors to get the work done as soon as possible, but for now the lift will remain closed for the foreseeable future."

She added that there will be an update as to when a definitive date for the lift's reopening is set.

Norwich Evening News: Dave Shraga, chairman of Inclusive NorwichDave Shraga, chairman of Inclusive Norwich (Image: Dave Shraga)

Dave Shraga, 42, is a powered wheelchair user and the chairman of the disability charity Inclusive Norwich.

He stressed that although people with accessibility needs should not be discouraged from going up to the castle, it is important that equipment such as lifts are always fully operational, as some may not be able to use slopes and other forms of step-free access.

He said: "It is disappointing that the castle has not been able to get the lift repaired yet, though considering the current economic and political concerns it's hardly surprising that businesses are struggling to operate at full capacity."