Bristol Airport parking firm trainee 'took car for joyride'

Kirsty Livingstone wants compensation after a parking service employee took her car on a joyride

A paramedic says her holiday was ruined when an airport parking firm employee took her BMW for a 90mph joyride.

Kirsty Livingstone, 43, was in Rome when police called to say her car had been pulled over near Langford, in Somerset.

Ms Livingstone said she and her partner then spent most of their holiday, over Easter, dealing with the police.

Meet and Greet Bristol Airport Parking Services apologised for the incident, adding the car was taken by a trainee.

Speaking to BBC West, Ms Livingstone, who lives in Gloucester, said she was on the verge of cancelling the trip because her grandmother had just died.

But family members urged her and her partner to go as they had not had a holiday for a long time and the funeral was not until the following week.

She booked the service online and arranged to meet the driver at the airport in the early hours of Easter Saturday.

She said: "That night I got a phone call from Avon and Somerset Police officer telling me, 'I'm with your BMW'.

"I told him the car was with a short-stay parking service, and he said the driver had stolen my car."

Ms Livingstone says her alloy wheels were scratched during the time she was away

The driver was pulled over on the A38, after driving at speeds in excess of 90mph (145km/h) with no licence or insurance, Avon and Somerset Police said.

The force dealt with the man on the roadside and said he would be getting a court summons letter in due course.

Ms Livingstone, originally from Scotland, praised the force for managing to get her car back to her quickly.

It meant she was able to attend the funeral in Dumfries and avoided missing any days of work.

But she said her alloy wheels were scuffed due to careless parking and a tyre sustained a slow puncture. She also had to pay £80 to get the tracking fixed before going to the funeral.

"We missed all our holiday activities because we were up all night both nights trying to deal with police, it was just a mess - I wish we had never gone," Ms Livingstone said.

"I've used these kinds of services loads of times and I never thought this would happen.

"The parking at Bristol Airport is limited, that's why meet and greet companies are so popular."

'All staff insured'

Meet and Greet Bristol Airport Parking Services said Ms Livingstone's vehicle had been collected and taken to one of its sites, and that on the day in question it was conducting interviews and training sessions for potential staff.

"Those individuals that were going through the training were told specifically not to drive any of the customer's vehicles and to simply observe how the operations were being conducted," the firm said.

"However, one of the individuals without our knowledge took Ms Livingstone's vehicle out of the site and shortly after was apprehended by the police."

It said it had cooperated fully with the police and returned Ms Livingstone's car to her upon her return from holiday.

"All our staff are insured for the services we provide, and our staff go through DBS checks before they are employed", it added.

Bristol Airport advises passengers to use its on-site parking facilities

The firm said it had refunded her the £57.99 booking fee, and offered £300 in compensation.

It denied any damage was caused to the vehicle.

Ms Livingstone arranged the service via booking firm Airport Parking Global Services, which said it was reviewing the situation to make sure it did not happen again.

But it added: "Based on the volume of vehicles the operator services on a weekly basis we do not find their complaint levels to be high - however, we will still investigate this matter thoroughly."

'Firm entirely unconnected'

Ms Livingstone also contacted Bristol Airport, but was told it had nothing to do with the meet and greet services operating in its car park.

"It seems bizarre to me that anybody can set up shop at the airport and they don't do any kind of vetting," she said.

A spokeswoman for the airport said: "Meet and Greet Bristol Airport Parking Services is an independent business entirely unconnected with Bristol Airport and we have no control nor influence over the services provided by [the company]."

The airport advises passengers to use its on-site parking.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]