A small family-run business says it has suffered a loss of around £40,000 after its electric van was stuck in a central London car park for more than two years.
Mark Lucas, co-owner of HCS Furniture based in Buckinghamshire, parked the van at a stacked car park in Rathbone Square, near Oxford Street, back in December 2022. However, when he attempted to retrieve the vehicle later that evening, he was informed by the concierge that the van could not be returned due to a malfunction in the parking system.
Stacked car parks use mechanical lifts and platforms to park vehicles on multiple levels, saving space. Unfortunately, a fault in this system rendered the van inaccessible.
Lucas was initially told that the issue would be resolved soon, but by January 2023, he was informed that replacement parts were needed to fix the system. Since then, he has received no concrete updates. Frustrated, he told the BBC that despite repeatedly contacting the car park, he has received “little or no response.”
To keep the business running, HCS Furniture was forced to lease another van at a cost of £800 per month. On top of that, they’ve continued to make payments on the loan for the original van, which remains trapped. Mr. Lucas estimated the total financial impact on the company to be around £40,000.
He expressed his frustration, saying the situation has significantly hampered the company’s ability to grow: “While we’re trying to grow the business, we can’t, because we have all this money tied up. How can you plan for anything when you don’t know what is going to happen in the near future?”
The delays were reportedly due to engineers needing specific replacement parts, which were not expected to arrive until May 2024. Mr. Lucas was told the company may be able to recover the losses from whoever is ultimately held responsible, but the issue dragged on regardless.
According to Double Parking Systems, the company responsible for maintaining the car park, full access to vehicles was finally restored on 15 March 2025. A spokesperson explained that although they responded promptly when the fault occurred in December 2022—attending the site within hours and submitting repair quotes soon after—the repair process was delayed by long procurement approvals and difficulties sourcing specialised parts from overseas.
They added: “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. We remain fully committed to supporting the reliability, safety, and performance of the parking system moving forward.”
The owners of Rathbone Square have also been approached for comment.
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