AMAZING footage shows the moment a “badly” parked car was moved in a city street using a fork lift truck.
The £15,000 Mitsubishi was parked in a legal space but a businesses reckoned it was restricting access for their vehicles.
So a forklift was brought in to lift the two-year-old Outlander and move it one parking space away from the entrance to the Glasgow firm.
The remarkable clip shows the car swaying precariously on the forks as it is moved. Alarmed passers-by can be heard over the car alarm worrying that the vehicle will fall off.
The DIY towaway has been criticised by motoring safety experts who said the brakes and fuel lines of the car could have been seriously damaged.
The incident happened in the city’s Kilbirnie Street last week and the video obtained by road safety website Scotland’s Worst Drivers.
The 14-reg black SUV was parked within white lines marked out by the local council. But bosses at Photoframe Ltd claim it was restricting access and that it had been left there for five weeks.
Police pointed out they could do nothing because the car was not stolen, was legally parked, and taxed and insured.
The video shows an unidentified forklift driver reverse the car out of its parking space and then move forward to put it in the space behind. A colleague can be seen walking near to the car to try to stop it moving.
At one point a woman can be heard gasping as it looks like the car may fall from the lift.
The person filming the video can be heard saying: “It’s going to fall off, it’s going to fall off! That wheel is going to catch.”
A Photoframe Ltd employee, who asked not to be named, said: “Basically the car has been there for five weeks and hasn’t been moved at all. Police said it wasn’t stolen or missing and there wasn’t anything they could do as it was in a legal parking space.”
It is understood the firm gets regular deliveries of large palettes and the legal space restricts access.
Asked if Photoframe had used the forklift to move the car, the employee said: “I am not going to confirm if we moved it or not. There are five other businesses on the street.”
Jack Cousens, a spokesman for the AA said: “The business shouldn’t have taken the law into their own hands and should’ve contacted the local authority.
“Lifting a vehicle in this way can cause major damage to the underside of the vehicle.
“Cars are designed to be lifted only at their jacking points and this clearly wasn’t the case. Brake pipes, exhaust pipes and fuel lines could all have been damaged or broken.”
A spokesman for Scotland’s Worst Drivers said: “It seems the driver of the Mitsubishi had parked within a bay, legally, and one that was marked out by Glasgow City Council.
“I am perplexed however as to why the council would put a parking bay blocking access to a business premises, however, it appears this was a valid parking spot and the driver done no wrong.”
He added: “While it is easy to understand the frustration of having a car blocking access, why anyone thought it was okay to take the law in to their own hands is beyond me.
“Lifting a vehicle in the way had potential to cause serious damage, especially the front left wheel area because of how it was pushed on the road.”
Police Scotland confirmed they have not had any reports of the incident from the owner of the car or any of the companies in the street.
A police spokesman said: “Should anyone wish to make a complaint they should contact Police Scotland on 101.”
