The survey by online...

The survey by online auto retailer Jamjar Cars also discovered a possible reason for this statistic - 30 per cent of facilities have no security measures, while nearly a third are poorly lit. These findings come a year after the Government pledged higher standards as part of its Safer Car Parks Scheme. A spokeswoman for Jamjar Cars told Auto Express: "This study highlights a need for improved security."

However, we have also learned that some lots which claim to be secure actually aren"t. Shileen Fowler, from Hull, had her Volkswagen Golf broken into in a supposedly "safe" car park in the West Midlands.

She said: "I had been doing my Christmas shopping, and so specifically chose one which had signs up saying 24-hour security was in place with surveillance cameras." However, when thieves smashed her rear window and stole her gifts, she was horrified to discover these claims weren"t true.

Shileen continued: "I asked the car park staff for the video tape as evidence for the police, but was told the CCTV cameras didn"t actually work."