At a glance
After a malfunction around 25 vehicles were trapped for nearly three years in an automated car park at Rathbone Square, central London, leaving motorists collectively claiming losses of over £1 million.
Drivers say they’ve suffered severe financial hardship from vehicle hire, legal fees, and ongoing repayments, yet have received no compensation despite repeated appeals.
The maintenance firm, Double Parking Systems, blamed delays in overseas parts and approval processes, insisting it acted “in good faith,” while insurers are yet to comment.
Motorists claims to be £1million out of pocket after their cars and vans were trapped in a central London car park for almost three years.
Mark Lucas parked his electric Vauxhall Vivaro van at Rathbone Square just off Oxford Street in December 2022.
But a “mechanical malfunction” caused the car park’s automated stacker system to break down.
About 25 vehicles were stuck for 28 months and despite retrieving them in April, those affected say “not a penny” of compensation has been paid.
Mr Lucas said huge debts had left him living with a “daily fear” of losing HCS Furniture which he co-owns in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
His debts of £60,000 built up due to months of van hire costs, solicitors fees, the subsequent purchase of a replacement vehicle and ongoing loan repayments for the original van.
Multiple parties have denied responsibility for the mechanical failure, citing ongoing investigations and delays in sourcing specialist parts, the BBC first reported.
Mr Lucas told the Standard: “This needs to be sorted and quickly.
“We were invited to use the stacking system at the car park and, through no fault of our own, have been left out of pocket.
“These multi-national companies all have insurance and they need to get to the bottom of who is at fault.
“It’s nearly three years – it is ridiculous.”
Another driver, named only as Chris, was visiting a relative when the stacker system broke down.
The former insurance professional said his losses exceeded £100,000 and estimated the total claims across all affected owners could exceed £1m.
He racked up bills by striking a deal with a hire company to rent a vehicle that was similar the value of his BMW 5 Series.
Chris paid for this replacement monthly as he was never told when the stacker was likely to be fixed.
He told the broadcaster insurers and other parties involved have been “massively lacking” in their “duty of care”.
AXA XL, the car park’s public liability insurer, was contacted twice by the Standard for comment but did not respond.
Double Parking Systems, the UK company responsible for maintaining equipment, previously said: “When a major fault occurred in December 2022, we responded quickly - attending the site within hours and submitting repair quotations shortly after.
“Unfortunately, the main causes of delay in resolving the issue were prolonged procurement approval processes and delays in receiving specialised parts from overseas suppliers -factors entirely outside of our control.
“While we regret how long it took to restore access, we acted in good faith at every stage and proceeded with repairs as soon as we were authorised and equipped to do so.
“Vehicle access was fully restored on 15 March 2025. We remain fully committed to supporting the reliability, safety, and performance of the parking system moving forward.”
