Now, where did we park the car? Thousands of unwanted new and used motors are stored on airfield as coronavirus slump hits economy
- Thurleigh Airfield in Bedfordshire is being used to hold thousands of unsold cars
- Former RAF base is now a storage site amid fears over future of motor industry
- This comes as British economy slumped by 20 percent in April amid coronavirus
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Thousands of unwanted cars have been left to fill up an airfield in Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, amid fears about the long-term future of the motor industry amid a slump caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Countless rows of vehicles can be seen filling up runways and storage areas across the former RAF base, which was closed in 1997.
The British economy slumped by more than 20 percent in April as the impact of the coronavirus shutdown begins to be felt, with motor companies potentially among the worst hit.
Thurleigh Airfield in Bedforshire is being used to store thousands of new and used cars
The former RAF base closed in 1997 and half of it is now in use as a large-scale storage facility
Only 78,767 vehicles left factory gates in March 2020, down 47,428 on that month last year as all vehicle plants closed for the lockdown.
However, car production facilities across the UK are now slowly returning to full action after being closed during the height of the pandemic.
Car showrooms are also now reopened and there are hopes government backed schemes can lead to a strong recovery.
Only 78,767 vehicles left factory gates in March 2020, down 47,428 on that month last year
There are hopes the automotive industry can make a strong recovery following coronavirus
Graham Hoare, chairman of Ford of Britain told the BBC: ‘Dealerships being open is a fundamental requirement to selling cars,’ he says. ‘The vast majority of our products go through dealerships.
‘Opening those dealerships… that really unblocks the cork out of the bottle that then allows the whole manufacturing system to flow.
‘That’s already happened on the continent – in Germany and the rest of Europe. It’s building, and we need to do the same here.’
Thurleigh Airfield has previously been used as a holding area for the government’s car scrappage scheme that saw a huge backlog build up at sites across the country.
A new scrappage scheme offering electric vehicle buyers £6,000 for trading in older diesel or petrol models will be launched in July with the aim of boosting the economy.