British police have helped to return more than 100 abandoned vehicles to their owners, after an airport car park company ceased trading.

Sussex Police received several reports of passengers booking their cars into Gatwick First Parking, but not having their vehicles returned to them on their arrival at Gatwick Airport.

Police say the company, which has no relationship with the airport, appears to have since ceased trading.

They have located some 120 vehicles at various sites through research and intelligence.

Sussex Police say: "Further checks identified the company office at an address in Surrey, where the keys for vehicles which had been collected from passengers departing from Gatwick Airport were left."

"While this is a civil matter - meaning Sussex Police has no control to seize the keys or the cars - officers made extensive enquiries to contact the landowners and partner agencies, including Gatwick Airport Ltd and trading standards officers from Surrey County Council, and have facilitated the release of more than 100 vehicles to their owners."

The landowners were then able to contact passengers to arrange collection of their cars.

But it says there are still a number of keys - around 30 - to vehicles which have yet to be located.

Sergeant Darren Taylor, of the Gatwick Policing Team, says: "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."