Police probe ‘rogue’ car parking companies near Gatwick
Sussex Police have used Twitter to warn holidaymakers flying from Gatwick to beware of ‘unscrupulous rogue companies’ when parking their car.
Over 1,000 cars have been found unattended in muddy field near the airport in what police suspect is an illegal operation.
Police have not revealed the exact location, but tweeted a picture of the car park, with the warning: "Flying from #Gatwick soon? Use an approved parking firm or your car could end up like this."
Flying from #Gatwick soon? Use an approved parking firm, or your car could end up like this: https://t.co/MvcxeomPlV pic.twitter.com/6PAMiAq3KW
— Gatwick Police (@GatwickPolice) June 27, 2016
Last week, police, accompanied by representatives of Horsham District Council and Trading Standards, found keys left in envelopes on car windscreens, while hundreds of keys to other vehicles were found in the boot of a car which was left open and unlocked. Other cars were covered in mud.
Sergeant Darren Taylor described them as "unscrupulous rogue companies".
He said: "I was disgusted but not overly surprised by the condition of the cars, because this appears to be an ongoing issue in the area.
"Some of the cars were stuck in thick mud and were unable to be towed away; let alone driven away.
"But one of the most worrying things we found was an insecure vehicle with the keys to hundreds of others left in full view in the boot.
"We were on site for about 45 minutes and not a single person was present to challenge us during that time. There was nothing stopping us from accessing the field and no CCTV cameras anywhere in sight, which is a real concern."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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