My £157k BMW was left wrecked by ‘cowboy’ airport parking who took it on joyride while I was abroad
A COUPLE’S £157,000 BMW was allegedly wrecked by a reckless airport parking firm which took it on a joyride while they were abroad.
The pair claimed they landed back at Manchester Airport from a holiday only to find their “meet and greet” parking provider had crashed their luxury motor.
After alerting police, they found their badly damaged brand new 2024-plate BMW XM crashed into a hedge near the airport.
The couple had landed on a flight from the Czech Republic on Saturday afternoon before discovering their smashed motor.
They alleged to Manchester Evening News that the parking firm crashed the hybrid petrol-electric car after they called to summon the vehicle.
The couple also said it didn’t apologise for crashing it and refused to reveal its location.
Their daughter was not with them at the time but told how they called to say they were ready for their car after landing at the busy airport.
However, 45 minutes passed and there was no sign of the motor so they called again.
When the company picked up, the couple claimed they said another car had crashed into theirs and that they would have to take a taxi home.
Their daughter also claims the parking provider refused to give the location of the accident, so her parents called the police who then revealed where the car was.
The couple, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, got into cab and later found their damaged car on Mill Lane near the junction with Castle Mill Lane in the Cheshire village of Ashley, close to the airport.
Their daughter explained how heart-broken the family were when they saw the destroyed motor and how frustrating it was that they only found out its location from the police.
She also said how the couple’s grandchildren would even take their shoes off when getting into the car.
The daughter added: “They were really upset. They really loved that car.
“The company just didn’t care and they didn’t even say sorry or that they would drive them home.”
Her father said: “That car means everything to me.”
NO REPORTS OF SECOND VEHICLE IN CRASH
Manchester Evening News says it called the company, which appeared to be called Secure Parking Manchester, using a mobile number the couple had provided to them.
Once revealed that it was reporting an incident where someone from the firm had appeared to have crashed the car, a man said that the message would be passed onto the office.
The man added that they deal with the complaints side and would give them a call back.
However, no return call was ever received, and an email the news site sent to the firm’s address that had been provided to the couple was also not responded to.
A spokesperson for Cheshire Constabulary told The Sun: “At 1.53pm on Saturday 22 February Cheshire Police were contacted by GMP in relation to a collision involving a BMW which had collided with a hedge on Mill Lane, Castle Hill Farm.
“There were no reports of any injuries, and the vehicle was recovered from the scene.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police confirmed this, saying it responded to a car being in a ditch on Saturday afternoon on Mill Lane.
They added that the driver provided a negative breath test and no arrests were made, while neither force mentioned a second car being involved in the incident.
A representative for Manchester Airport said Secure Parking Manchester was a private company unaffiliated with the airport, adding that it does not use any of the airport’s facilities.
Secure Parking Manchester was approached for comment by The Sun.