A woman from High Wycombe has expressed her anger and frustration after her car was allegedly been destroyed in the recent Luton Airport fire.
Samantha Woodward, who is based in the Terriers area of the town, parked her yellow 2016 Nissan Juke in the Terminal 2 car park on October 8 – two days before the incident happened on October 10.
She and her partner, Ian McNally, travelled to Portugal before being notified of the blaze which ‘ruined their holiday’.
Upon watching the news, to their surprise, they noticed their car on national television.
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It could be seen, seemingly unscathed, in the damaged car park.
However, despite having the vehicle for just three months in which it had clocked up less than 1,000 miles, Samantha, who is legally disabled and has Type 1 diabetes, was told that the car ‘had been written off’.
After contacting her provider, Marshmallow Insurance, for assistance, she was notified that despite not being in an accident, she would lose her no-claims bonus, must pay the excess cost, and be warned that her premium would be increased.
She told the Free Press: “We can’t sum it up.
“We had a lovely couple of days before we heard about the fire, so when we were watching it on the news, we noticed our car on the camera.
“She looked perfectly fine but of course, we don’t know that for sure.
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“With that being said, Marshmallow have told us that my premium will go up, I’ll lose my no claims bonus which I’ve had for about eight years, and I need to pay excess even though I wasn’t involved in an accident.
“We got the car in July and I’m currently paying £196 for the next five years on finance.
“I’m still going to have to pay that even though I can’t even get to the car.
“I’m lost for words for the lack of help.”
There was added frustration for Samantha who admitted to leaving some of her belongings in the car before her trip to Portugal.
These items include her license, blue badge, bus pass, bank cards, phone chargers, leads, a spare tyre (that was purchased and left in the boot after the car had been agreed to be leased), and a car jack.
She continued: “I had knee surgery in March, so I got the Duke to help me with my mobility issues.
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“It’s a good car to have and apart from driving it to Luton, around High Wycombe, and seeing my partner who lives in Southall, it’s not done anything in terms of miles.
“I’m also Type 1 diabetic and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to get to my hospital appointments.
“We were given a hire car but that’s only for a week and we don’t know what to do, as I’ve been told it’s unlikely I’ll get it back.”
Luton Airport CarPark NOW!! pic.twitter.com/g9T8lUeMsO
— micky 🇮🇪🇬🇧🏴☘️ (@m2odo) October 10, 2023
The couple are one of hundreds of people who have been impacted by the blaze, with the Association of British Insurers releasing a lengthy step-by-step guide and statement notifying motorists on what they should do.
An excerpt from their statement, which was uploaded on October 18, reads: “The car park has suffered extensive damage and it won’t be possible for anyone to enter the building to assess vehicles or retrieve belongings until it has been deemed safe.
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“Our discussions with Luton Airport and APCOA are ongoing and we will continue to work together, prioritising safety at all times, to make sure customers are updated.”
Danny Williams, Head of Car Parking at London Luton Airport, said: "I appreciate that whilst some cars were clearly completely destroyed, others appear to be intact, but their exact condition is still unknown.
Scary scenes at Luton Airport @LDNLutonAirport as the multi story short stay car park is exploding in flames @BedsLive @BBCNews #lutonairportfire pic.twitter.com/peqlJFYQHL
— Molly Bullard (@mollythorne) October 10, 2023
“We have said all along that it is highly likely that no cars can be salvaged from the car park, due to the extensive structural damage, but we're also clear that until the experts have completed their full and thorough assessments, we just don't know for sure.
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“We have worked incredibly hard, in a very complex situation, to get car registration details to insurance companies to enable them to start the process of processing claims, and I'm really pleased to see that this is now starting to happen."
The fire took place in the early hours of October 10.
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