Holidaymaker’s car driven 3,000 MILES by dodgy parking firm after leaving motor near Manchester Airport

DOZENS of holidaymakers have been taken for a ride by meet-and-greet car park firms operating near Manchester Airport.

One driver said their car was driven over 3,000 miles while they were away, while others have reported chaos from the companies involved.

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The car parks involved are not affiliated with Manchester Airport, which has urged people to "research before handing over keys".

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

One owner told cops their car bonnet had been stolen and in April, around 150 people said their car keys were missing when they got back holiday,

Insp Andrew Baker, from Cheshire Police, said many of the owners had booked through online comparison sites they believed were safe.

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

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

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

They added: "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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It follows a number of meet-and-greet scams reported across the country.

One holidaymaker was horrified to find his new £70,000 BMW had been taken for "joyrides" and slapped with £200 in fines after he left it with a parking company near Heathrow airport.

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Another man paid £85 to use what he believed was a secure airport parking service in Leeds - only to find it "didn't exist".

Meanwhile, a woman was left with £700 worth of damage after parking her car with a company in Manchester while she spent ten days in Gran Canaria.

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