Sunlight being reflected from the Walkie Talkie tower in central London yesterday. The new skyscraper that reflects sunlight at an intensity capable of melting parts of a car has become the latest attraction in the city’s financial district as the developers are trying to find a quick fix. The glass-clad tower, dubbed the Walkie Talkie for its distinctive flared shape, was blamed this week for warping the wing mirror, panels and badge on a Jaguar car parked on the street below the 37-storey building that is under construction. Business owners opposite 20 Fenchurch Street pointed to sun damage on paintwork on the front of their premises and carpet burns. TV crews fried an egg in the sun beam reflected from a concave wall of the tower watched by bemused spectators yesterday. Motorist Martin Lindsay said he had left his car for an hour opposite the building and returned to find the wing mirror, panels and Jaguar badge had “melted”. “You can’t believe something like this would happen,” said Lindsay who received compensation for the damage from the developers. “They’ve got to do something about it.” Three parking bays were closed off opposite the £239mn (QR1.35bn) tower to avoid more damage, as a steady stream of spectators observed and photographed the building.
