UK's best parking place is named

Kevin Beresford, head of the Car Park Appreciation Society, was hired by the AA to test the best and worst places to park across the country.

Mr Beresford, of Redditch, Worcs, said Birmingham's Mailbox complex had good lighting, good space width and trendy background music.

He said the worst space was in London's International Press Centre (IPC).

"It is almost a like a nightclub"
Kevin Beresford, car park enthusiast

Speaking of the Mailbox he told BBC News its general ambience was good.

"It is quite a stylish building, which helps it.

"It is easy to get into and easy to get out, it's not that cheap though but I guess you get what you pay for."

Mr Beresford said he would be happy for his wife to park there late at night as it was well-lit and felt safe.

"It has got background music, not elevator music, but quite trendy stuff. It is almost a like a nightclub."

London's IPC was cramped and had no parking spaces, just nooks and crannies, he said.

"It's really expensive too.

"There's one particular space which seems to be right by a staff door that would open right onto your car.

"Trying to turn around there would be almost impossible."

Mr Beresford was asked by the AA to compile a set of pros and cons of car parks in the UK for its website which has now been turned into a book entitled Parking Mad.

"They wanted to highlight the perils of parking in Britain and they sent me on this odyssey looking at car parks - the good, the bad and the downright dangerous.

"I was shocked how bad the car parks in this country were," said Mr Beresford, who had a surprise bestseller with his previous book about roundabouts.

"A car park is like any other building - why should they be smelly or dark."

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