A young family with a disabled baby who were left stranded at Gatwick after the collapse of a car parking firm, say they feel let down by police

Kyle and Libby Augustin, who live near Smallhythe, Tenterden, and their one-year-old twins returned from a relaxing family holiday in Portugal on Saturday night to find the company that was looking after their black Audi Q7 had simply disappeared,

The couple’s daughter Izola has cerebral palsy and it was close to midnight when they called Gatwick First Parking.

Libby, 30, said: “We had collected our bags and were all tired but we couldn’t get hold of the firm so we went to where we’d dropped off the car but couldn’t see it and that’s when we bumped into another couple who were on the phone to Sussex Police about their missing car.”

After calling police themselves, the Augustins were initially told that it was a matter for trading standards and they were forced to return home by taxi and shell out £130.

By Monday, Libby said Sussex Police told her to return to Gatwick before 3pm and she would be reunited with their car.

Husband Kyle was at work so Libby, a New Zealander, who has no family nearby, had to take the twins with her in a taxi. When Libby arrived at Gatwick no one was aware of an arrangement with Sussex Police, so she flagged down a police officer, who made enquiries, and then informed Libby that it was a trading standards issue.

Libby had no choice but to return home to Tenterden and says she feels let down by police. “I had been on a four-hour journey and had to pay around £200 but I still had no car.

“Izola’s cerebral palsy means that her limbs stiffen up easily and she gets aching muscles so she must have been in discomfort but can’t tell me.

“Our car also has her support seat in it that I use when I’m feeding her so I need that back."

Izola has treatment at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Libby said: “I don’t live in town and without the car it is difficult to get around. I’ve had to cancel three physiotherapy appointments for Izola.”

Mark Smith boss of 1st Gatwick Parking, which is unrelated to the firm of the near-identical name, says he has been contacted by people looking for their cars by phone and at the airport.

He said: “I’ve been here for 30 years and I’ve seen this sort of thing happen before. It is very easy to set up here, blast through the summer and rip people off and disappear without a trace.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police said that although the situation was a civil matter it had worked to reunite owners with their cars, although 30 are still to be located.

Its statement said: "The force has received several reports in recent days of passengers booking their cars into the care of Gatwick First Parking, but not having their vehicles returned to them on their arrival at Gatwick Airport.

"The company, which is not a Gatwick Airport approved meet-and-greet parking company and has no relationship with the airport, appears to have since ceased trading.

"Through research and intelligence, police have located approximately 120 vehicles at various sites in Sussex and Surrey."

Sergeant Darren Taylor, of the Gatwick Policing Team, said: “It’s essential that Gatwick Airport passengers use official on-airport parking, or companies registered with Gatwick’s off-airport approved parking operators scheme only, to avoid this sort of thing from happening."

The Augustins were finally reunited with their car at around 5.30pm today.