Jasmine Ketibuah-FoleyBristol
Avon and Somerset Police
Police targeted rogue parking companies in the countryside near Bristol Airport
A police operation targeting rogue airport parking companies has been carried out after complaints of cars being damaged or having unexplained additional mileage.
The action, led by officers covering Bristol Airport, targeted unofficial companies in North Somerset.
Avon and Somerset Police said officers went to three car parks and found no staff there, with insecure vehicles and a caravan being used as offices with what appeared to be customers’ car keys in them.
Some customers told how they had been abandoned at the airport, having been given various excuses by the parking operators.
Avon and Somerset Police
Officers found no staff present at three parking sites they visited
Avon and Somerset Police
Police said they found a caravan at one of the parking sites with customers’ keys inside
The day of action was led by the airport police team, along with immigration enforcement staff, North Somerset Council and the British Parking Association.
One family reported they were told to take a taxi to a farm, where they were made to wait for an hour, before being instructed to go to another farm.
They waited there for a further two hours before they got their car back, police said.
Another family, with two distressed children, was also apparently stranded before airport staff took them to a hotel, a force spokesman added.
‘People would be horrified’
Councillor Annemieke Waite from North Somerset Council said: “When deals look too good to be true, they usually are”.
She said none of the off-site operators had planning permission and had “never been assessed against planning policy”.
“If anyone experiences a problem with a parking operator, please report it to the police or North Somerset Council,” she added.
Avon and Somerset Police sergeant Danielle Hardaway said people would be “horrified” if they knew how their vehicles are used and stored.
Police say people wanting to park at the airport should use the airport’s official website or accredited parking companies.
