A WOMAN whose bumper was ripped off in Britain’s “worst” car park is making sure it never happens again.
Louise Paterson has started a petition against the owner of St Catherine’s Retail Park in Perth city centre, Scotland.
The catering assistant, from Scone, claims a speed bump and pothole in the car park left her black BMW with damage worth £100.
The 36-year-old wants compensation and is attempting to persuade the owner to fix the issues so it does not happen again.
She says that she will not back down over improving the car park even if its owner reimburses her.
“I’ve driven through the car park loads of times and I’ve thought it’s an absolute shambles,” she told The Courier.
“There is a problem with the road surfacing and it’s getting worse fast.
“My front wheel had gone into a pothole but I hadn’t seen it as it was dark and I was watching for cars as I tried getting out of a junction.
“As I went to come up from that, my bumper got caught in a speed ramp.”
Louise, whose petition has received more than 200 signatures, then heard “scraping”.
When she got out to assess the damage, she described herself as being “frantic” and saying “oh my god”.
Louise attempted to put her car in a position so she could gather evidence, but ended up going into the pothole again.
MSP for Perthshire North John Swinney said: “I am aware of the issues facing motorists parking at St Catherine’s Retail Park and I am raising this matter directly with the car park operator.
“It is vital that those visiting the retail park are able to do so free from the risk of any damage to their vehicle.
“To that end, I am hopeful that meaningful steps can be taken to improve the quality of the car park in the very near future.”
A spokesperson for St Catherine’s Retail Park said: “Health and safety across the park is paramount and any concerns raised with us are dealt with as a priority.”
