According to a report by Privilege Insurance, each year London drivers are forced to pay out an incredible £140 million in repair bills from dents and dings caused when parking legitimately in the street.

Although just over one quarter of vehicles are damaged when parked in supposedly secure car parks, a vast majority - just under 75%, suffered damage to their vehicles while parked in the street.

The main gripe is paintwork scratches from other cars (41%), while damage to door mirrors (31%) and dented panels (27%) come next in the 'anonymous damage' rankings. Other damage cited includes paintwork scrapes by vandals, dented bumpers and broken aerials.

It's no surprise that London is the insurance nightmare capital with 37% of respondents reporting vehicle damage even when innocently parked. Alarmingly, the average repair bill costs a London car owner £265, with a bewildering 22% paying over £500.

Despite the figures, most drivers appear reluctant to avoid it. Only 6 percent of motorists take the precaution of retracting the door mirrors, while 67% don't bother
at all.

Privilege Insurance Manager, Catherine Alty, says: "Our advice to London drivers is to take more basic precautions. It may appear obvious but simple measures such as retracting the door mirrors, avoiding parking on narrow road sections and finding appropriate secure parking can limit the risks."

She adds: "While we can't can insure against congested London streets and over-zealous drivers, we can help to offset the penalties by offering London motorists a very competitive premium."