The car park has been empty since NCP collapsed last month
11:34, 08 Apr 2026Updated 11:43, 08 Apr 2026
Over 20 cars were dispersed in total from the city centre car park(Image: Leicestershire Police)
Drivers turned a closed Leicester NCP car park into an illegal car meet before police swooped in to shut it down.
Officers from the Cultural Quarter beat team dispersed more than 20 cars from Lee Circle on Tuesday, April 7, issuing drug disposals and Section 59 warnings.
In total, five out-of-court disposals were handed out for drug possession and two Section 59 warning notices were issued, police said.
Out-of-court disposals are penalties officers can issue without taking a case to court, and can include fines or formal warnings.
Lee Circle is one of four city centre car parks that closed on Friday, March 27 after NCP collapsed, leaving Leicester city centre short of around 1,200 parking spaces.
The other affected sites are on East Street, Abbey Street and Rutland Street, next to the Curve Theatre.
The closure of the NCP sites has already prompted action from Leicester City Council, which has announced plans to create 32 new on-street parking spaces in the Cultural Quarter.
Longer stays will also be permitted in existing bays, with time limits extended from three hours to five hours.
City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has ruled out the council taking over any of the four closed car parks, citing poor occupancy rates of around 25 per cent on average.
He said taking on a loss-making enterprise would not be a prudent use of taxpayers’ money.
Despite the closures, the council has said Leicester city centre still has more than 10,000 spaces available, including more than 9,000 car park spaces and 1,300 on-street bays.
The city’s park and ride service also continues to operate from Birstall, Enderby and Meynell’s Gorse in Braunstone Frith.