A woman from Stevenage has spoken out after a "design flaw" in the multistorey car park at Lister Hospital contributed to her van being damaged.

Rachel had parked her van at the hospital, but got stuck on a "very low barrier" when she attempted to leave - she says that you cannot see the barriers when driving. It took six men to bounce her car out, which she says held up traffic in the car park and took around 45 minutes.

Rachel's van - which she uses for work - received "significant damage" during the incident, and she is unable to open the passenger door as a result. She is waiting for a garage to complete the repair work, which she expects to cost at least £400.

The Comet: Rachel's van was damaged during the incident, and she is unable to open the door on the passenger side.Rachel's van was damaged during the incident, and she is unable to open the door on the passenger side. (Image: Picture supplied)

When Rachel rang Saba, the company that runs the car park, she says she was told that they "cannot account for bad driving".

However, Rachel argues that the issue is caused by a "design flaw" and is calling on Saba to recognise this. She says that "at the very least", Saba should install signs to warn customers about the problem space.

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Rachel adds that she knows of two other people, including her aunt, who have experienced very similar problems in the car park.

And when Rachel visited the car park again in the days following her incident, she found parts that appear to have broken off a different car in the same location.

The Comet: The very low barrier that Rachel's van came into contact with.The very low barrier that Rachel's van came into contact with. (Image: Picture supplied)

Rachel said that Saba "deny any sort of wrongdoing" and argue that the car park meets "the legal standard".

"That may be true, but they could do better."

"What angered us was how they dealt with it.

"They were unhelpful. They immediately said 'we can't account for poor driving'.

The Comet: Rachel expects the repair work to cost at least £400.Rachel expects the repair work to cost at least £400. (Image: Picture supplied)

"They didn't even bother to discuss what happened, it was just 'it must be your problem'."

Rachel sent an official complaint when the incident happened, and has since received two generic responses. It has been almost four weeks since her initial complaint.

The Comet received no response to multiple attempts to contact Saba.

Have you also experienced problems with the design of the car park at Lister Hospital? Email us at chris.day@newsquest.co.uk.