We were stranded at airport after parking firm LOST £60k Land Rover – confused staff refused to help & it cost us £100s
A FAMILY were stranded at an airport after a parking firm lost their £60,000 Range Rover – claiming confused staff refused to help.
Leah Freeman, 27, from Plymouth, left her Land Rover Discovery with Blue Circle Parking at Heathrow before jetting off on holiday.
The mum-of-two was told her car would be protected by CCTV, security barriers and 24-hour patrols.
When Leah and her family returned from Disneyland Florida, her husband called the firm to tell staff they had landed.
But no one picked up – and the family soon found out the unofficial airport parking firm had gone bust while they were away.
The panicked family took their luggage to the area where they had dropped their Land Rover off.
They were told that Maple Parking had stepped in to take over and reunite customers with their cars.
NHS nurse Leah claimed she called the police before a Maple Parking worker gave her a postcode and told her to look there for her car.
She said there was no key or paperwork for her car in the office – claiming staff handed keys out without keeping a log.
Leah told how staff allegedly didn’t even have a desk and worked out of a rucksack at the “dodgy” outfit.
Her husband took a cab to the postcode – leaving Leah and their two toddlers alone at the airport.
But when he arrived at the barren strip of land, the family’s car was nowhere to be found.
Leah told the Mail: “We had such a lovely holiday away, and it’s always going to be tainted by the memory of when our car got stolen.
“How could somebody do this to us? They know it’s a family car, because there’s two children’s car seats in the back.”
The family claimed they tried three different locations where Maple Parking had discovered cars dumped by Blue Circle.
But they eventually despaired and hired a car for the four-hour drive home to Plymouth so Leah could make it to work the next morning.
The next day Leah’s husband and dad returned to Heathrow to comb every single car park in each terminal for the Land Rover.
They eventually found the motor – but have not been able to contact Blue Circle or get any compensation for their ordeal.
Leah said: “People were telling me just to give up – but it’s an expensive car, we work hard.”
The fuming mum slammed the firm – adding it did not provide anything like “secure parking”.
Scotland Yard said there is no ongoing investigation into any car thefts related to Blue Circle.
Maple Parking declined to comment but has previously told media it had been brought in to reunite cars with their owners.
Heathrow Airport has been contacted for comment. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the airport’s part.
I came back from holiday to find my £8k Ford ‘destroyed by airport parking firm’
A STUNNED tram worker returned from a 10-day holiday in Majorca to find deep scratches on the door of his £8,500 motor.
Tony Shock, 65, paid £65.99 as well as a £6 transfer fee each way to leave his Ford Fiesta with Ezybook at Manchester Airport in June last year.
When Tony returned to the airport after his Majorca trip, he was allegedly left waiting outside the terminal for his car for 40 minutes.
An Ezybook worker stood in front of the driver’s door and seemed reluctant to let go of the keys, he claimed.
Tony, from Manchester, said: “Stupidly, I never thought to check over the car.
“After a frustrating wait I just wanted to get home.
“It was only when we arrived home that we noticed that the car had been damaged.”
Tony was shocked to find deep scratches on the door of his £8,500 motor.
He claimed it cost him £300 to fix the damage – and that the company have not compensated him.
Tony said: “I phoned them up and they denied the scratches were anything to do with them.
“They made out that any responsibility had ended the moment I drove out of the premises.
“Once bitten, twice stung. This was the first time I used one of these companies, and it’ll be the last – no matter what.”
Manchester Airport said that Ezybook is not affiliated with the airport.
A spokesman added: “Manchester Airport offers a range of official parking products to suit all budgets.
“In addition to our own official parking products, there are a number of reliable and reputable third-party providers located near the airport.
“We encourage customers to use initiatives such as Park Mark and the government-backed Buy with Confidence scheme to find a provider that has undergone a series of detailed checks and is committed to trading fairly.”
Ezybook did not respond to a request for comment.