At least 80 holidaymakers had their cars stolen after paying upwards of £145 to park them with a meet-and-greet firm at Heathrow Airport over the last month.
A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft after around 70 of the vehicles were found, Metropolitan Police told MailOnline.
The travellers reportedly left their vehicles in the care of a third-party valet service that operates from the airport but their cars were never returned.
Some of the stolen cars were reportedly found in a field about 15 miles away in Chertsey, Surrey.
Detectives are working to return recovered vehicles to owners while an investigation into the thefts, including efforts to locate any remaining cars, continues.
At least 80 holidaymakers had their cars stolen after paying upwards of £145 to park them with a meet-and-greet firm at Heathrow Airport (stock photo). A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft after around 70 of the stolen vehicles were found
Some of the stolen cars were reportedly found in a field about 15 miles away in Chertsey, Surrey
The holidaymakers reportedly paid £145 each to park their vehicles with meet-and-greet firm Terminal Universal Ltd, The Sun reported.
One victim, a 39-year-old woman from Cardiff, told the newspaper that after she was unable to retrieve her vehicle, her family had to spend £100 on a train ride home because 'there was nothing we could do'.
Terminal Universal Ltd does not have a website or publicly-listed contact information. The firm is also listed as 'dissolved' in the Government's Companies House database.
Several alleged victims have taken to Facebook claiming that they booked the valet service through online agency Ezybook.
The travellers reportedly left their vehicles in the care of a third-party valet service that operates from the airport, but their cars were never returned
One victim claims that every time she has contacted Ezybook about the status of her car, the 'operator gave me a different company name'.
She was reportedly given details of five firms that were allegedly handling her booking, including Terminal Universal Ltd. It is unclear if all the firms are contacted.
Met Police did not identify the name of the company involved in the case. MailOnline has approached Ezybook for comment.
Heathrow Airport does have official meet-and-greet operators, which travellers are encouraged to use.
A Heathrow spokesperson has advised that customers who opt to use third-party valet services should look for positive reviews on Trustpilot, or other reputable review sites; ensure the firm has full, clear contact details - not just a mobile phone number - listed on its website; a Companies House Number, VAT Number and registered company address on their website; and the Trading Standards’ Buy With Confidence accreditation.
ARE YOU A CUSTOMER OF TERMINAL UNIVERSAL LTD AFFECTED BY THEFT? Email [email protected] and [email protected]
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