WITH the big summer getaway in full swing, UK breakdown provider Start Rescue is sharing some ‘park smart' tips when it comes to using long term airport car parks.

Paul Elliott, general manager of Hobbs Recovery Services, members of the Start Rescue national network, has over two decades of knowledge when it comes to recovering cars from major airports like Heathrow and Gatwick.

And in most cases, avoiding the disappointment of coming back from holiday to find the car won't start is about not getting caught out by the ‘little things.'

"Most callouts to long stay airport carparks still involve the dreaded flat battery. And that's usually caused by not taking a moment to check all interior and exterior lights are off, even if you're only away for a short city break, that can be enough. It is easy to knock-on an internal light when unloading your luggage and we see this on a regular basis," explains Paul.

Paul and Start Rescue's advice is to take a moment to do a ‘car walkabout' before heading for departures.

If the worst does happen, getting professional help as quickly as possible is also about doing the simple things right, preferably before taking the shuttle.

Taking plenty of pictures on your phone, especially of all available location signage, will make sure help arrives sooner. Paul and his colleagues also recommend using What3Words.

"Most of these carparks are huge, so we encourage customers to use What3Words which allows us to pinpoint their exact location straightaway. Parking as accurately as possible in the approved space is also a major help if we do need to load your car."