Luton Airport fire: Man appeals for legal papers left in car

The airport confirmed the car park and vehicles are set to be demolished

A man whose car was written off but not destroyed in the Luton Airport car park fire has appealed for the return of its contents during the demolition process.

Layne Penrose, from Chobham, Surrey, left Court of Protection documents in the vehicle when he parked in Terminal Car Park 2, which collapsed.

More than 1,400 vehicles were caught up in the fire on 10 October.

Luton Airport said it was a matter for "Mr Penrose, his insurance company and their appointed salvage operator".

Layne Penrose said the Court of Protection documents were hard to replace

While many of the cars were destroyed in the fire, others were left unscathed.

The airport said any cars parked on levels ground to three "are not recoverable", because structural damage means the car park must be demolished.

Mr Penrose said the original, notarised documents referred to a family member and "while they have no great value or legal sensitivity, they are very difficult to replace and I'd really like them back".

The Court of Protection deals with decisions or actions taken under the Mental Capacity Act.

It decides if someone who is taking decisions on behalf of a person who lacks the capacity to look after themselves is doing so appropriately.

Cars from the top level were removed to make the car park more stable

Mr Penrose, who is managing director of a print and digital media group, admitted that leaving the papers in the car was not ideal.

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"Like anybody else I suppose, from time to time I have paperwork and bits and bobs that I might be ferrying to and from work," he said.

"So they happened to be there for a few days when I left the car in the airport."

The fire broke out at about 20:45 BST on 10 October at the Terminal Car Park 2 which is right next to the main terminal

Mr Penrose, who has received a pay-out from his car's insurers, believes it should be possible to retrieve the undamaged vehicles' contents as part of the demolition process.

He said: "I was unfortunate enough to suffer a catastrophic fire at my business premises, which resulted in the complete demolition of the building.

"What I know from first-hand experience is the almost forensic way in which this process is executed in order to maximise the salvage of anything and everything that can be either recycled or recovered, and then sold on."

London Luton Airport's operations director Neil Thompson said: "Unfortunately, due to the extent of the structural damage, access to the car park is not possible and it needs to be fully demolished.

"We have been in touch with Mr Penrose to confirm that although his car will be removed during demolition, we are unable to advise the extent to which, his car and its contents could be further damaged during that process.

"Any potential arrangements in relation to personal belongings will be a matter between Mr Penrose, his insurance company and their appointed salvage operator."

He thanks all passengers for their "patience and understanding".