A GROUP of Southampton friends returning from a holiday in Malaga discovered their car keys were dumped at an airport overnight after an off-site parking firm ceased trading with no warning to customers.

The keys to 300 vehicles were given to staff at Bournemouth Airport by a BOMO Parking employee with no information provided about the future of the company.

Dozens of people returning from flights have already been impacted, although airport security staff have been driving people to the car park to collect their vehicles.

However, among them were four friends from Southampton whose car key was lost in the chaos, leaving them stranded at the airport on Tuesday morning.

Lisa Russell, who had been on a holiday in Malaga with her husband Michael and friends Charlotte and Aidan Thorn, said that there had been no warning of any risk of the company going out of business.

“We have had no warning and no message from the company explaining what’s happened,” she said.

“We used them once before and had absolutely no problem and even when we were leaving they were very friendly – there was no worry about anything going wrong.

“It’s just such a shame that we’ve had a wonderful holiday and then this happens as soon as we come back.

“The airport staff have been really helpful, it’s not their fault in the slightest that this has happened.”

In response to the issues being faced by customers of the company, airport staff have been driving them to their cars while the airport has also waived drop-off fees for anyone impacted.

Keys are also being kept by airport staff and handed back to their owners on their arrival.

Paul Knight, managing director at Bournemouth Airport, said: “The bag contained a large number of keys.

“Our staff are proactively assisting affected passengers by ferrying them from the airport to collect their cars from the site.

“A number of passengers have already been assisted back to their cars this morning, with this number likely to increase significantly throughout the day and coming weeks.

“Given the circumstances, we are waiving drop-off charges if they need to return to the airport to collect fellow passengers or visitors.

“We have 2,300 secure car parking spaces at the airport, with CCTV and patrols, and can accommodate extra bookings from customers who may have booked with BOMO Parking Services over the summer.”