Older multi-storey automotive parks should be modified to deal with heavier electrical automobiles or danger partial collapse, engineers have warned.

A evaluation by the Institution of Structural Engineers mentioned weight limits must be imposed or buildings strengthened to help the more and more massive and heavier electrical automobiles that weigh on common greater than two tonnes.

The steerage follows the collapse of a multi-storey automotive park in New York City in April, by which one individual died and 5 have been taken to hospital.

Chris Whapples, an IStructE fellow and overseeing guide for the evaluation, informed the PA news company: “Potentially if we just ignore this issue then we could have a partial collapse. It would not necessarily be a wholesale collapse — nobody wants that — but we want the public to have confidence in driving and in using car parks.

“I’m not trying to create any scaremongering, and I want to emphasise that not all 6,000 multi-storey car parks across the UK have to be closed.

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“It’s only the very old ones, built in the 60s and 70s, which are in a very poor state of repair and have weakened over time which will probably need to have some work done to them.

“It’s not the little city electric cars that are likely to be a problem or the average family saloon, but some of the top end electric vehicles like executive saloons or SUVs which are about three tonnes or over which could potentially be overloading some of these older multi-storey car parks.”

Over the previous two years Mr Whapples has led a staff of 10 engineers, commissioned by IStructE, to replace design suggestions for multi-storey automotive parks. The evaluation proposes that automotive park homeowners have their buildings inspected by engineering companies to see in the event that they should be strengthened.

If that is too costly homeowners could need to impose a automobile weight restrict of as much as two-and-a-half tonnes.

Asked how a lot a complete redesign may price automotive park homeowners, Mr Whapples mentioned it was not potential to present a particular determine.

He mentioned: “I can’t say much about the price, because the numbers would be subject to conjecture, and any strengthening procedures would have a price set against them bespoke to each car park.

“I think a lot of owners [of older car parks] will opt for imposing a weight limit rather than paying for strengthening measures.”