Manchester Airport and Manchester City Council is urging all passengers travelling throughout the busy summer holiday season to be aware of “illegal” parking scams.
The fresh warning has been issued after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Cheshire Constabulary joined forces back in June in an attempt to tackle “rouge” carparks and the fake firms running them by launching Operation Cicero – a multi-agency crackdown.
Operation Cicero was launched after an increase in the number of holidaymakers reporting issues relating to meet-and-greet car parks over the last six months.
Some of the reports police forces have already received this year include more than 55 incidents at the Lode Hill and Moss Lane car parks alone – with incidents raging 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 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, although officers were able to resolve matters and the cars were returned to their rightful owners.
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Rogue parking firms have also previously caused problems in the Wythenshawe area too, leaving vehicles for long periods of time on residential streets, despite claiming they would be stored securely.
Manchester Airport urges all passengers travelling through the busy summer season to be aware of “illegal” parking scams / Credit: Cheshire Police
But, with the airport now entering what is likely to be its busiest month since 2019, those set to travel are being urged to “do their due diligence” on firms offering parking services before making a booking.
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“We continue to take the issue of rogue meet and greet firms very seriously,” explained Chris Woodroofe – Managing Director at Manchester Airport.
“In addition to our own official parking, there are a number of reliable and reputable third-party providers located near the airport and we would always urge passengers to do their research before handing over their keys.
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“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.”
The airport is also taking action to “combat congestion” caused by the increased number of taxis and private hire vehicles travelling throughout the summer.
The airport is also taking action to “combat congestion” caused by the increased number of taxis and private hire vehicles / Credit: GMP Manchester Airport
Although the airport operates a dedicated Private Hire waiting area for drivers to use in between jobs, some firms have been found to be avoiding this and parking up in neighbouring residential areas instead, so to prevent this, the airport has cut the cost of this waiting area in half to just £1 for up to three hours during the school summer holidays.
The airport says it will consider renewing the scheme over subsequent busy periods if it proves successful.
“We understand that for taxi drivers, particularly those based some distance from the airport, it makes financial sense to wait in the area for a return fare rather than to make the return journey without a passenger,” Mr Woodroofe continued.
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“However, when a high number of private hire vehicles wait in neighbouring residential areas, it can create congestion and increase the risk of inconsiderate or illegal parking.
“That is why we have introduced this scheme for the summer holiday period, which we expect will alleviate pressure on street parking capacity in areas such as Wythenshawe and Woodhouse Park, by providing an affordable alternative for commercial drivers who need to remain in the area for extended periods.”
Featured Image – Cheshire Police
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Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signs
Daisy Jackson
After months of swirling rumours, bakery group Gail’s has finally confirmed it’s moving to Prestwich – but locals have spotted a glaring error at the first hurdle.
The popular artisan bakery will be moving onto Bury New Road, right in the heart of the suburb and directly opposite the new Rudy’s pizzeria.
Prestwich locals have been hearing whispers of a Gail’s arriving for a few months, and finally the London-founded cafe has stuck up signs to confirm it’s on the way.
But the sign contains one crucial mistake – it’s spelled Prestwich wrong.
The red window displays now read ‘Hello Preswich. We’ll be baking here soon’.
One local messaged Gail’s to point out the error and to say it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
Gail’s has since confirmed it’s in the process of fixing the signs.
The arrival of both Gail’s and Rudy’s has already caused a stir in Prestwich, which has always been fiercely independent and has only a handful of chains within it (Greggs and Costa are perched by the tram stop).
In fact, one local business-owner shared a moving statement about his concerns for the future of local businesses just a few weeks ago.
Gail’s has confirmed it’s opening a bakery in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.
Today the brand has more than 100 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery.
It’s famed for its freshly-baked loaves, cinnamon buns, ham and cheese croissants and coffees, and is likely to go down a storm in Prestwich.
But the signs have been causing a bit of a stir in the wrong way this weekend – in a local Facebook group, one person commented: “Not locals who own it then.”
Another described it as an ‘epic fail’.
And one person said: “Oh the DRAMA of it all.”
Someone else joked: “I cannot wait for Gais to come to Preswich.”
Met Office issues snow warnings for large parts of northern England from this evening
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester could be waking up to a winter wonderland as weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued across northern England.
Expected to arrive anywhere from 6pm this evening (18 November) and last until around 10am tomorrow morning (19 November), the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for large parts of northern England – indicating that “snow may bring disruption to a central swathe of the UK during Monday night and Tuesday morning”.
Weather forecasters say that although most snow is likely to accumulate on higher ground, with five-10 cm on ground over 200 metres, and possibly 15-20 cm over 300 metres, there is a chance that snow may settle at lower levels “within the warning area”.
The Met Office also said that this possible five-10 cm at lower levels is likely to be “more disruptive”, particularly if travelling and if the snow coincides with rush hour, but the likelihood for that is still “uncertain” at this stage.
Greater Manchester could see snow from this evening as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning / Credit: Geograph | Pexels
As the rain, sleet, and snow begin to clear on tomorrow morning, ice may form on surfaces that are untreated.
“We have issued yellow warnings for snow and ice as cold weather moves in from the north,” explained Andy Page, who is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office.
“This brings snow showers and some ice to parts of Scotland on Sunday night, and then the potential for a spell of snow to lead to disruption to some transport routes across a central swathe of the UK on Tuesday morning.”
⚠️ Yellow weather warning UPDATED ⚠️
Snow & ice across southern parts of Scotland, northern England, the Midlands and north Wales
In addition to the severe weather warnings, a Cold Health Alert has also been issued by the UKHSA, and it covers the north of England and the Midlands right through until Thursday.
Emily Sergeant -
9th August 2022 
