Bright light shining off the Walkie Talke (Picture: AFP/Getty)

A City skyscraper nicknamed the Walkie Talkie is reflecting sunlight so strongly it has caused extensive damage to a Jaguar parked below.

The upper floors of the 525ft, £200million building, due to be completed in 2014, are wider to give the impression it is bursting into the London skyline.

But the building’s unusual shape is reflecting an ultra-bright light on to the streets below.

Martin Lindsay, director of a tiling company, said he was distraught to see the warped panels along the side of his high-spec Jaguar XJ.


‘They’re going to have to think of something. I’m gutted. How can they let this continue?’, he told City AM.



Mr Lindsay parked his Jaguar at 12.45pm on Thursday afternoon but the paper reported when he visited an hour later there was a smell of burning plastic and some panels were beyond repair.

The building, now named the Walkie Scorchie after it began reflecting the ray of light that has left passers-by shielding their eyes, has also badly damaged a van parked nearby.

Eddie Cannon, a heating and air conditioning engineer, said his Vauxhall Vevaro had suffered similar damage on Wednesday.

‘The van looks a total mess – every bit of plastic on the left hand side and everything on the dashboard has melted, including a bottle of Lucozade that looks like it has been baked,’ he told the paper.

‘When I got in the van it was a really strange light – like it was illuminated and they were filming. I want to know what effect it’s having on people walking down the road.’

Joint developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf are looking into the incident.

In statement they said: ‘As a precautionary measure, the City of London has agreed to suspend three parking bays in the area which may be affected.’