Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Cheshire Constabulary have joined forces in an attempt to tackle “rouge” carparks near Manchester Airport.
Over the past six months, the police forces say they have seen an increase in the number of holidaymakers reporting issues relating to meet-and-greet car parks that are operating near Manchester Airport, which is why they have come together this week to launch Operation Cicero – a multi-agency crackdown on these fake firms.
Some of the reports the police forces have received this year include more than 55 incidents at the Lode Hill and Moss Lane car parks alone.
The incidents have ranged from car thefts and criminal damage, to travellers returning home to find that their cars have been driven hundreds, even thousands, of miles away while they’ve been on holiday.
In one case recent case, Cheshire Constabulary said that a customer returned to the UK to find their car bonnet had been stolen, while in another report, a customer returned from their two-month holiday to find their car had been driven more than 3,000 miles while they had been away.
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In April alone, around 150 people returned home to find that their car keys were missing and their vehicles were stuck in a boggy field in Styal.
Officers were able to resolve matters and the cars were returned to their rightful owners.
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Over the past 6 months we've seen an increase in holidaymakers reporting issues relating to car parks operating near Manchester Airport. Today, with @gmpolice, Trading Standards, @EnvAgency and @HMRCgovuk we've conducted Op Cicero – a crackdown on rogue meet and greet firms.(1/2) pic.twitter.com/YXuQQIS23O
However, the two forces say the companies are having “a hugely detrimental impact on local residents and holidaymakers alike”, and so, more than 50 people from Cheshire Constabulary and Greater Manchester Police, along with immigration officers and staff from Trading Standards, the Environment Agency, and HMRC took place in an operation yesterday and attended the Moss Lane and Lode Hill car parks to help address the problems.
“Holidays are supposed to be the highlight of the family calendar, so the last thing anyone wants is to return home and find that their car has been damaged, or even worse is missing,” explained Inspector Andrew Baker from Cheshire Police.
“While many of these businesses are not illegal, some of the activity taking part on their sites is and some the services they are providing are questionable [so] by working together with our partners, we have all been able to use our specialist skills to identify any offences which are taking place and ensure that the appropriate action is taken.”
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He encouraged travellers to “do your research” before going on holiday.
Operation Cicero has been launched after cars were driven thousands of miles away while their owners were on holiday / Credit: Cheshire Constabulary
Inspector Baker continued: “I 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.”
Manchester Airport says it is “grateful” to the police forces and partner agencies for the work they are doing to tackle the issue, and has committed to continuing to “raise awareness of the risks posed by booking airport parking through these unscrupulous companies”.
Six teenage boys arrested following stabbing of 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre
Emily Sergeant
Six teenage boys have been arrested following the stabbing of a 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to reports of a ‘serious assault’ near the Riverside Shopping Centre in central Rochdale on Saturday (29 August), and when they arrived on the scene, they found that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed.
The young boy currently remains in hospital receiving treatment, while a police investigation into the incident is open and ongoing.
Two teenage boys were first arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article on the same day the incident occurred (29 August), but have since been released on bail.
Officers then made four further arrests yesterday (31 August), again all teenage boys who were arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article, with enquires ongoing.
A Section 60 and 60AA ‘stop and search’ authority was introduced in Rochdale town centre following the recent incidents in area and following reports of youths carrying weapons in the locality, and this has now been extended to 3pm today (Tuesday 1 September).
“This was a serious and sustained attack that could have had far more tragic consequences,” explained Detective Superintendent, Richard Hunt .”Our team of experienced detectives is working around the clock to understand exactly what happened, identify all those involved, and secure the strongest possible evidence.
“We will relentlessly pursue every lead available to us and will leave no stone unturned in bringing all those responsible before the courts.
“Community safety remains our absolute priority, and we are committed to ensuring those who seek to bring violence onto our streets are held fully accountable for their actions.”
Can you help? Anyone who witnessed the incident, was in the town centre at the time, or has any mobile phone, CCTV, or dashcam footage, is urged to come forward and speak to police on 101, quoting log 2750 of 29/08/2026, or using the LiveChat function on the GMP website.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd June 2022 
