So how were thieves able to do this in 'secure' Leamington car park?

A rail user whose car wheels were stolen while it was parked at Leamington Railway Station has raised concerns about the level of security in operation.
Andrew Haveron's car was left in this state by thieves after he left it at Leamington Station's main car park overnight.Andrew Haveron's car was left in this state by thieves after he left it at Leamington Station's main car park overnight.
Andrew Haveron's car was left in this state by thieves after he left it at Leamington Station's main car park overnight.

Andrew Haveron, of Leamington, parked his blue VW Golf at the railway station’s Old Warwick Road car park overnight on Thursday May 24 while he was at a work-related event in Birmingham but came back to the car the next day to find all of its four wheels had been stolen, a window had been smashed and two children’s car seats and the parcel shelf had been taken.

As a driver who had previously driven mainly company cars, this cost Mr Haveron a £500 excess fee and he has also lost his no claims bonus on his new insurance policy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “If you go on the website for the company APCOA, which manages the car park for Chiltern Railways, it says that it is CCTV monitored.“But a member of staff at the station told me that it isn’t.

“I doubt the thieves would have been able to take the time to remove all the wheels if there was proper security in place. Apparently a mobile patrol comes by the car park every so often but maybe they chanced it.

“I pay £114 a month to park my car at that station and I don’t think I’m getting my money’s worth security wise if there are no cameras there.

“I have contacted trading standards because I think it’s false advertising.”

The crime has been reported to British Transport Police.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Alan Riley, customer services director at Chiltern Railways, said: “We are very sorry to hear about this incident and we will be working closely to investigate this incident with the British Transport Police and our car park management supplier.

“We take such matters very seriously as we understand the impact this incident may have had on our customer.

“We have recently upgraded our security resource in the Warwickshire area and will continue to take steps to mitigate against such occurrences.”

In January 2017 APCOA announced it had been awarded a five-year contract to cover parking at Chiltern’s 27 stations across the country.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It also manages car parks on behalf of Network Rail, GWR, and TransPennine Express.

The company charges an off-peak and weekend day rate of £5 for the car park and £8 for the day.

Weekly tickets cost £29.90, monthly parking costs £113.90 and an annual ticket is £1,196.

The company’s website lists ‘video monitoring’ as a service it provides for the site.

APCOA has declined to comment further on Chiltern’s statement.