Manchester Airport: police warn holiday makers of rogue car parks following rise in number of incidents

A North West police force is reminding Manchester Airport passengers about the dangers of using unofficial, rogue car parks. This comes following a rise in the number of incidents at these locations. 

Several incidents have taken place at a site on Moss Lane in Styal. This activity escalated on Saturday August 12 when a customer reported that they had been threatened with a knife after challenging staff over the safety of a vehicle being used to transport people to the airport.

Police attended and two men were arrested on suspicion of affray. The pair, aged 21 and 52, have since been released on conditional bail. A third man, aged 48, was also arrested on Sunday August 13 on suspicion of vehicle theft, after he used a customer’s car to travel to Middlewich Custody Unit to collect his two colleagues. He has also been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Following these incidents, Cheshire Police carried out an operation at the site on August 15, they discovered several damaged vehicles and seized a minibus which was deemed unsafe for use. 

Following the operation Inspector Andrew Baker, Beat Manager for Wilmslow and Knutsford, part of Macclesfield LPU, said: “Sadly, despite our previous warnings about these rogue car parks, people are still using the sites resulting in lots of unhappy customers and placing unnecessary pressure on local police officers.

“Many people using these car parks make their bookings through online comparison sites, believing that they are booking professional, secure airport parking which are linked to the airport.  In reality, many of these car parks are simply muddy fields on land bordering the runway and have no affiliation to the airport whatsoever.

“Holidays are supposed to be the highlight of the family calendar and while it might seem like a good idea to save a bit of cash on parking, the last thing anyone wants is to return home and find that their car has been damaged, or even worse is missing.

“If you are going on holiday and looking to book a parking slot, do your research, choose a reputable company and always book through an official website and don’t just go for the cheapest option. Otherwise your car may be touring the UK while you are travelling the world.”

A Manchester Airport spokesperson urged holidaymakers to use official car parks when using the airport. They said: “Whether you’re going away on holiday or on business, you don’t want to be worrying that your car isn’t safe where you’ve parked it – that’s why we offer our own official parking products to suit a range of budgets and back a number of reliable and reputable third-party providers located near the airport.

“It’s important that passengers do their research before they hand over their keys. We encourage customers to use initiatives such as Park Mark and the government-backed Buy with Confidence scheme to find a provider that has undergone a series of detailed checks and is committed to trading fairly.”