PEOPLE returning from holiday to find their airport parking service had stopped trading said they had no idea the company was in trouble.

The keys to 300 vehicles were given to airport staff by a BOMO Parking Services employee and the company has said that the decision was taken due to the “catastrophic effect” of “a sustained attack” by an individual.

Dozens of people returning to the airport on Wednesday morning were impacted with airport security staff driving them to their cars.

Following Wednesday’s announcement, the majority of people have so far been reunited with their cars, one group of friends discovered that their keys had gone missing.

Lisa Russell, from Southampton, returned from a holiday in Malaga with her husband Michael and friends Charlotte and Aidan Thorn, early on Wednesday morning to find her car key was missing.

“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.

“But to come back and find that your keys have been lost and you can’t get home is really upsetting.

“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.”

Lee Skinley, who had also returned from a holiday in Spain with his family on Wednesday morning, was taken to his car by a security employee at the airport.

“It’s shocking. We have had no information from BOMO and arrived back here to be told that they have stopped trading today.

“We’ve still got to drive back to home Weymouth so having these issues causing more delays is very annoying.”

Also impacted by the firm’s decision to cease trading was Anne Rafferty, who had flown to Spain on holiday from the airport.

“This was the first time I’d flown from Bournemouth and everything went really smoothly going out,” she said.

“Everyone we dealt with from the company was really friendly and helpful - we had no idea they were in any sort of trouble.”

Customers’ keys are being distributed by airport staff and fees for using the drop-off car park have been waived for people affected by the firm’s closure.

Messages have been posted around the airport with tannoy announcements used to make people aware after the arrival of flights.