Manchester Airport holidaymaker's car driven 3,000 miles in parking scam

Motorists have reported lost keys and cars stuck in boggy fields on their return from holiday

Holidaymakers have had their cars damaged, stolen and driven thousands of miles amid a rise of rogue airport meet-and-greet firms, police have said.

Motorists using companies operating near Manchester Airport reported lost car keys and vehicles stuck in boggy fields.

One owner said their car had been driven more than 3,000 miles.

The car parks have no affiliation to Manchester Airport, which urged people to "research before handing over keys".

Cheshire Police said more than 55 incidents had been reported since January at car parks in Lode Hill and Moss Lane, in Styal.

'Stolen bonnet'

One owner told police their car bonnet had been stolen, and in April, about 150 people said they returned from holiday and their car keys were missing.

Insp Andrew Baker, from Cheshire Police, said many of the owners had made their bookings through online comparison sites and believed they were secure.

"In reality, many of these car parks are simply muddy fields on land bordering the runway and have no affiliation to the airport whatsoever," he added.

Police said while many of the businesses were not operating illegally, some of the activity on their sites was illegal and some of their services were "questionable".

A search of one of the Styal sites led to cannabis and drug paraphernalia being found, and two men were arrested on suspicion of supplying class B drugs.

A Manchester Airport spokeswoman urged passengers to "do their research before handing over keys".

"In addition to our own official parking products, there are a number of reliable and reputable third-party providers located near the airport."

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