String of cars stripped of parts in Birmingham city centre

Cars person been stripped of parts successful a spate of abstracted thefts portion parked successful Birmingham metropolis centre, a BBC probe has found.

The BBC has learned of 9 akin incidents successful the Digbeth country successful January alone.

Three motorists told america their cars had besides been stripped by thieves past year, each astatine the aforesaid car park.

Charaya White, 28, from Birmingham, said the ordeal had brought connected a panic onslaught erstwhile she recovered parts of her Citroen C1 were scavenged astatine New Canal Street car parkland successful May 2022.

"Initially I thought my car had been deed by idiosyncratic successful the car park," Ms White said, who had parked determination for 24 hours arsenic she caught the bid to London for her birthday.

"I virtually conscionable broke down... I conscionable went into a authorities of shock," she said.

Ms White brought a civilian tribunal lawsuit for negligence against the owners of the car park, Good Value Parking Limited, but ended up dropping it, she said, owed to a deficiency of evidence.

She said CCTV cameras pointing towards her parked car had not been working.

She added she had chosen this peculiar car parkland due to the fact that determination were signs claiming it was patrolled.

Good Value Parking Limited, which is managed by Gallan Group, has been approached by the BBC for comment, but has yet to respond.

"A batch of radical person said 'it's conscionable a car', but I trust connected my car a lot," Ms White said.

Because she is asthmatic, Ms White said she needed her car for doctors appointments and to get to work. She said she was relying connected taxis to bash her shopping, which were costing her £12 a trip.

"I was successful the process of trying to bargain a house, but due to the fact that my car had been stolen and was a constitute off, I was successful the presumption betwixt choosing my car oregon buying a house.

"If I was to instrumentality retired caller credit, it would impact my recognition score," Ms White said, who is presently inactive renting.

Our probe besides found:

Meg Matthews said she had booked a day's parking portion she went to London connected a bid with a friend.

The 21-year-old walked backmost to the car parkland connected her ain astatine astir 23:00 GMT.

"I sat down and unopen my door, I heard solid shatter, looked to the broadside of maine and my model was wholly smashed," Ms Matthews said.

"That's erstwhile I looked guardant and realised my bonnet was missing."

She said she had called the constabulary consecutive away, who told her they could not nonstop anyone retired to spot her.

"I was past stuck successful my car for astatine slightest fractional an hr until my person could really travel and get me," she said.

"I was terrified, I couldn't move."

Ms Matthews said officers had told her to interaction her security institution arsenic determination was thing they could do.

She said she had felt stranded by the constabulary and frightened arsenic a young woman, unsocial successful a car parkland precocious astatine night.

West Midlands Police said an 18-year-old antheral had been arrested connected suspicion of theft successful January, but bailed with conditions portion inquires continue.

A spokesperson for the unit said: "We've stepped up patrols astir car parks successful Digbeth aft a fig of vehicles person been stripped of parts.

"We received 9 reports during January and we cognize the inconvenience and vexation this causes for car owners."

The spokesperson added officers were besides moving with cadets to connection transgression prevention advice.

The adjacent day, the carcass of Ms Matthews' car was taken distant by her security institution and her yearly premium has present gone up by astir £500.

While some Ms Matthews and Ms White person been affected financially by the thefts, they some accidental the incidents person besides damaged their confidence.

Ms White said she felt her idiosyncratic abstraction had been invaded.

"I don't cognize why, but I had it successful my caput that they were going to travel into my level and effort and possibly instrumentality thing else," she said.

Ms Matthews said she had not returned to Birmingham for a while.

"I went backmost with my person the different week but ended up having a panic onslaught and coming home," she said.

Student Caleb, whose partner's car was besides stripped of parts astatine New Canal Street car park, spoke of the "traumatising experience".

He said helium had called the police, who said it had been logged and for the mates to put their ain recovery. However, erstwhile helium revisited his lawsuit weeks later, helium said it had been discontinued owed to a deficiency of evidence.