'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper melts Jaguar car parts Published duration 2 September 2013

media caption The BBC's Andrew Verity surveys the damage caused by the skyscraper

A new London skyscraper dubbed the "Walkie-Talkie" has been blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a car parked on a nearby street.

Martin Lindsay parked his Jaguar on Eastcheap, in the City of London, on Thursday afternoon.

When he returned about two hours later, he found parts of his car - including the wing mirror and badge - had melted.

Mr Lindsay said he "could not believe" the damage. The developers have apologised and paid for repairs.

The 37-storey skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street, which has been nicknamed the "Walkie-Talkie" because of its shape, is currently under construction.

image caption 20 Fenchurch Street which has been nicknamed the "Walkie-Talkie"

'Dangerous'

Mr Lindsay, director of tiling company Moderna Contracts Ltd, said: "I was walking down the road and saw a photographer taking photos and asked, 'what's happening?'

"The photographer asked me 'have you seen that car? The owner won't be happy.'

"I said: 'I am the owner. Crikey, that's awful.'"

The wing mirror, panels and Jaguar badge had all melted, Mr Lindsay said.

"You can't believe something like this would happen," he added. "They've got to do something about it.

"It could be dangerous. Imagine if the sun reflected on the wrong part of the body.

"On the windscreen, there was a note from the construction company saying 'your car's buckled, could you give us a call?'"

In a joint statement, developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf said: "We are aware of concerns regarding the light reflecting from 20 Fenchurch Street and are looking into the matter.

image caption Mr Lindsay said his car's wing mirror, panels and Jaguar badge had melted

"As a precautionary measure, the City of London has agreed to suspend three parking bays in the area which may be affected while we investigate the situation further."