Dozens of travellers were left stranded at Gatwick Airport for up to eight hours after a rogue meet-and-greet parking operator failed to return their vehicles. The scam, which affected multiple passengers in June 2026, involved bookings made through a price comparison website that appeared legitimate.
Cars found in scrapyards and hotels
Victims discovered their cars had been moved without permission, with some located in a junkyard, on hotel premises, or dumped in the short-stay car park. Several reported missing possessions, including blue badges and vehicle documents, while cars were returned filthy and low on fuel.
Lauren James, 35, from Worcester, had just returned from a wedding in Bordeaux. She said: "We were all ringing the police in a panic. I was in tears because I thought our cars had been stolen. It was just a very traumatic and stressful situation." She booked through a website that appears prominently on Google for Gatwick parking, paying £50. After landing at 11am, the firm stopped answering calls.
Group chat formed to track vehicles
Lauren and her companion searched for their car for about an hour before joining a group of 30 to 40 others in a similar panic. One woman had been stranded overnight. They created a group chat to share information, and by 3.30pm, someone traced her Volkswagen Tiguan to a nearby hotel car park. It was covered in mud and had used a quarter tank of diesel. A police officer was present with four men and a car boot full of hundreds of keys.
Dani, 34, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, returned from Milan to find her Skoda Kodiaq missing. She had paid £75 through a different firm on the same comparison site. The car was eventually found in an abandoned scrapyard miles away, with the glovebox stripped of documents. It took seven hours to recover, and she expects fines for tailgating and speeding after 100 miles were added to the clock. She said: "The scams have gotten very sophisticated in the last year."
Father and daughter ordeal
Damien Ford, 44, from Hayes, West London, returned from a fortnight in Jamaica with his four-year-old daughter. He paid £125 for a Mercedes A-class service booked through the comparison site. After a seven-hour "wild goose chase" between websites and the airport, he found his car on a lower level with the key on the tyre and possessions scattered. A ticket showed it had been in the short-stay car park since 12pm, an hour after his search began. He said: "My daughter was asleep on my shoulder, and she was hungry and tired. It was an absolute nightmare."
Police deem it a civil matter
Victims contacted police, but officers advised it was a civil dispute as keys were willingly surrendered. Dani said: "The police and Gatwick in these times don't help you. They are turning a blind eye." Damien added: "I just can't believe that Gatwick don't do anything about this." The comparison website did not respond to a request for comment.
Gatwick response and advice
Oli Bedford, Head of Car Parks at London Gatwick, said: "We are aware of rogue third-party parking companies purporting to offer valet or meet and greet services. At London Gatwick we are actively addressing this issue by working closely with the police, Trading Standards, the British Parking Association (BPA) and our car park operator; as well as frequently running awareness messaging and advice." He recommended passengers book official Gatwick parking and thoroughly research any off-airport provider before booking.
