The technological failure saw drivers’ prepaid parking passes stop working at National Car Parks (NCP) locations around the country, meaning the automatic exit barriers wouldn’t open.
Lengthy queues quickly built up behind these gates with as many as 100 motorists trapped in one car park for up to an hour, as attendants allegedly refused to let motorists out.
The fault affected car parks from Luton to Leeds, with angry motorists taking to social media to vent their frustrations at being “trapped”.
In Birmingham, a trapped motorist tweeted: “Birmingham Angus barriers not opening. Hundreds of people stuck and no answer from customer service. Please sort ASAP.”
A driver in Sheffield shared: “Currently locked in NCP in Sheffield Campo Lane parking hell! Myself and about 20 cars and the numbers are growing. Can't get out! Help!”
One Croydon motorist trapped during the evening rush hour even called the police, complaining of ‘false imprisonment’ until officers told car park attendants to open the barriers.
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NCP, which operates over 500 car parks across the country, apologised for the issue and blamed the problem on a technical issue with a “third party provider.”
An NCP spokesperson said: "NCP experienced a technical outage last night that affected some of our car parks and caused delays to customers who were trying to exit.
"Our team worked hard to resolve the problem, the issue started just before 5pm and we had the systems back up and running within one hour.
"We immediately sent staff to sites affected to assist customers with their exit and we apologise profusely for any inconvenience that this caused."
Copyright Press Association 2019. Motoring News articles do not reflect the RAC's views unless clearly stated.
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