Police arrest two men at unofficial Manchester Airport meet-and-greet car park for threatening to stab customer who said minibus was unsafe – then arrest third man for car theft after he used customer’s vehicle to pick them up from police station
- Police arrested two men for threatening a customer at a ‘rogue’ airport car park
- A third man was arrested for picking his colleagues up using a customer’s car
Police have arrested two men at an ‘unofficial’ Manchester Airport car park over claims they threatened a customer with a knife after he challenged them over the safety of a minibus used to transfer people to the airport.
Two men, aged 21 and 52, were arrested at the ‘rogue’ car park on Moss Lane in Styal, Cheshire, on suspicion of affray, following reports they threatened the customer on August 12.
A third man, aged 48, was arrested the following day on suspicion of vehicle theft after he used a customer’s car to travel to Middlewich Custody Unit to collect his two arrested colleagues.
Police later seized an ‘unsafe’ minibus that was being used to transport car park customers to Manchester Airport after officers visited the site alongside colleagues from Trading Standards.
Cheshire Police have now warned travellers to avoid the ‘rogue’ car parks following reports of lost keys, damaged cars, and staff being abusive and threatening towards customers.
Police have arrested two man on suspicion of threatening a man with a knife at a ‘rogue’ car park near Manchester Airport
The force said a number of damaged vehicles were found at the unofficial car park which is located just a few minutes drive from Manchester Airport.
Cheshire Police urged customers to research the car parks they are using as the force said some people had booked parking spaces in the rogue lots through online comparison sites believing them to be ‘professional’ operations.
Instead, the force said many of these car parks are simply ‘muddy fields’ on land bordering the runway that have no official links to the airport.
The force said complaints about the car parks were placing an ‘unnecessary’ burden on local police officers, as they called on customers to avoid simply choosing the cheapest parking option.
The police force noted that while the car parks are not illegal in themselves, the services they are providing are ‘questionable’. The force said they are now seeking to determine what actions they can take to prevent further incidents.
Cheshire Police operation inspector Andrew Baker 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.
‘While many of these businesses are not illegal and not all the incidents are criminal matters, some of the activity taking place on their sites is, and some the services they are providing are questionable.
‘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.’
Police warned travellers against using unofficial car parks around Manchester Airport
A Manchester Airport spokesperson added: ‘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.
‘We are grateful to Cheshire Constabulary and its partner agencies for the work they are doing to tackle this issue, and will continue to work with them to raise awareness of the risks posed by booking airport parking through these unscrupulous companies.’
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