A couple were left baffled after receiving a prosecution notice that their Golf GTI had been caught speeding - whilst they were over 1,500 miles away on a holiday in southern Spain.
Gary Thornburn and Clare Beards, from Leeds, had dropped off their car at the Manchester Terminal 3 Meet and Greet on August 3, before they jetted off for 13 days in Murcia. They went on to enjoy almost two weeks in the sun before being met with a prosecution letter from police on their return, on August 16.
The letter, dated August 10, outlines that their car was caught driving at 55mph in a 30 zone, along Alan Turing Way. Pictures in the letter showed a white Golf GTI with the same number plate committing the offence. But the offence occurred on August 5 - two days after the couple had left their car with the official firm.
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The Manchester Evening News contacted Manchester Airport for comment. A spokesman confirmed the car was taken to the safe compound by meet and greet staff on August 3, but they claimed the vehicle remained there for the entirety of the couple's trip, so couldn't have been used to commit the offence.
Gary and Clare have contacted the police, explaining that they were in Spain when the alleged offence was recorded and that it was neither of them driving the car.
Speaking to the MEN , Gary said: "I came home (On August 16) just before midnight. We opened the post and my wife came in and said I had a speeding fine from the 5th August, but I said it can't have been either of us as we were away then.
"We had dropped the car off at Terminal 3 on Wednesday 3rd, at around 10pm. I knew they would transport it elsewhere to a safe location. We used the official meet and greet firm as we wanted to make sure the car was looked after because it was very expensive.
"I wouldn't have ever thought somebody would've been driving around in it going at such a speed. Its a criminal offence and extremely dangerous going 55mph in a 30 zone."
Upon opening the prosecution letter, issued by Greater Manchester Police, Gary said they immediately got in touch to inform the force that they were out of the country. However, the airport has remained firm in saying the car did not leave the compound between the dates of the trip, indicating that the car caught speeding could not have been the same one.
"I have used meet and greet firms before and never had an issue," added Gary. "I knew they take the cars off site to somewhere else, but you don't think you'll be accused of speeding 11 miles away from the airport."
The couple are waiting to hear from Greater Manchester Police after getting in touch to inform them they were not responsible for the speeding offence.
What the airport has to say
A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: "We are aware that a customer who booked Meet & Greet car parking at Manchester Airport has received a notice of intended prosecution from Greater Manchester Police, which relates to an alleged speeding offence that took place while they were on holiday.
“We understand this would be distressing for the customer concerned, and launched an immediate investigation after being notified. This investigation has indicated the car that was booked in with us remained in a secure storage area until it was collected by the customer on their return. The key to the vehicle was also securely stored throughout.
“Further investigations indicate the vehicle shown in the speed camera image is different to the one that was left with us. While the customer concerned has not made a complaint to Manchester Airport, we have made several attempts to speak with them directly, in order to share our findings and remain eager to do so, as well as assisting the police in any enquiries they wish to make into the matter.
“We want to assure customers that there are a number of strict security measures in place to monitor the whereabouts of vehicles left with us and ensure they are kept safe at all times.”
