Fearful women call for action over 'unsafe' Maidenhead car park

Fears have been raised that one of the largest multi-storey car parks in Maidenhead is unsafe for use, following reports of groups loitering on its unlit floors.

Stafferton Way Car Park, located a five-minute walk from Maidenhead station, costs £10 a day to park in the council-run areas, with an everyday season ticket available for £1,380.

The Advertiser has heard from multiple women who say the car park’s often pitch-black floors are now a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

The concerns come as two robbers were jailed for attacking and injuring a man as they pried a £10,000 watch from his wrist in the car park.

When Maidenhead resident Bronwen Gombert visited on October 14, no lighting, coupled with overcast weather, meant the fifth floor was ‘still pretty dark’ despite it being mid-morning.

“There was mess from pigeons everywhere, and in the stairwell itself, it stank to high heaven,” she told the Advertiser.

“There was graffiti, and you could see people had obviously been living in there because there was stuff lying around.”

The 47-year-old returned at 4pm when there was ‘absolutely no light at all’ and, while she could hear people moving around in the car park, she struggled to see them.

“I very hurriedly got in my car and locked the doors and got out of there, so it doesn't feel particularly safe, not just women, but for anybody using it,” Bronwen said.

She added: “I would say that the available parking within the town centre is pretty dismal. It does feel like I’m always looking over my shoulder when I’m leaving my car.”

Bronwen was among the dozens of women who responded to a Facebook post last week, ‘warning’ others about using the Stafferton Way Car Park after dark.

There was no lighting on the floor or in the stairwell when Bracknell resident Minna Wood returned to her parked car on the sixth floor last week, when she heard a group of men making loud noises.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I were alone,” she shared on Facebook.

“I would have been too scared to go to my car alone.

“They were probably completely harmless, but I felt very unsafe, even with my husband.

“I don't think I will use this car park again, at least not when I’m alone or when I know it will be dark when I return.”

The 59-year-old told the Advertiser that it ‘definitely’ appears the council is being neglectful, and they should ‘take action or close it down’.

She added: “I don’t think it’s anything to do with the winter or summer – of course, in summer it will stay lighter longer, but I think it’s a wider issue that car parks really aren’t very safe for women or anyone for that matter.”

One complainant, a woman in her 60s from Maidenhead, has called on the council to undertake a female-led safety review of the area following an incident on the evening of October 16.

Darkness enshrouded much of the car park as the resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, returned alone from the station to collect her car from the sixth floor.

In an email addressed to RBWM and police officials, the woman described encountering an intimidating group of ‘20 agitated young men’ gathered near her car.

The men were ‘playing loud drum and bass, smoking drugs, drinking, shouting, and covering their faces with dark clothing and hoods’.

When the Advertiser visited the car park this week, more than half of the floors in the eight-storey car park were in complete darkness. Stairwells were lit only by flickering lights illuminating graffiti plastered on the walls.

Lifts were out of action, and the car park’s top floor was covered in doughnut-shaped car skid marks.

Councillor Geoff Hill, the councillor in charge of the borough’s car parks, acknowledged the council does ‘have difficulties’ with Stafferton Way.

Cllr Hill said he was making a ‘strong case’ for money to be allocated to fix lighting and improve security at the car park, but the council was operating under financial constraints.

“We will get there in the end,” he added. “But it’s a question of how quickly we can.

“We have had some problems in Stafferton Way before with cars racing around, loud music and we know some unsavoury activities take place in that car park.

“It’s a question of driving it away, and inevitably, if we fix it there, the problem will move it somewhere else.”

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “Antisocial behaviour (ASB) can have a huge impact on lives, which is why tackling ASB is a priority for Thames Valley Police.

“We, alongside partners, are continuing to ensure we use all of our powers to tackle the issue head-on. If it is an emergency, call 999 or if its non-urgent, call 101.”