Police seized a car on its way to Parklife music festival after officers discovered the vehicle wasn't insured. The rogue driver will be summonsed to court, according to Greater Manchester Police.
The battered old Mitsubishi Colt was stopped by traffic cops on Bury Old Road on Saturday morning as 80,000 revellers made their way to Heaton Park for the weekend festival.
The occupants had to find another way to the venue, however, as the officers discovered the driver had no valid insurance and the car was seized. The good news is that Heaton Park was within walking distance.
Meanwhile motorway cops have also issued a warning after it emerged some concert-goers were being dropped off on the M60.
This year's event is set to be bigger than ever with a huge lineup of international stars from 50 Cent and Tyler, The Creator, to Megan Thee Stallion and Lewis Capaldi. They'll be joined by the likes of Chase & Status, Jamie xx and Four Tet, as well as Peggy Gou, Arlo Parks and Loyle Carner on Saturday and Sunday.
It will be attended by some 80,000 festival-goers on each of Saturday and Sunday, making it the biggest metropolitan festival in the UK. It's the first time the huge music festival has taken place in June since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Greater Manchester Police have promised extra patrols and warned concert-goers to be vigilant as 400,000 music fans are expected across the city to Parklife and other major events.
GMP Traffic tweeted a picture of the seized car and wrote: "The occupants of the Mitsubishi Colt were off to #Parklife when stopped by #ZT7 on Bury Old Road. They remembered everything apart from the insurance for the car.... #carseized and driver reported to court."
Motorway police also issued a warning after others heading to Parklife were dropped off on the M60.
North West Motorway Police tweeted: "Today we seem to be keeping the Motorway clear of Dogs/Pedestrians attending the Parklife Festival/Debris/Live Lane Breakdowns and abandoned vehicles - Remember if you are taking someone to Parklife please don't use the M60 as a drop off point - go to the dedicated areas
In all, an estimated 400,000 fans are will flock to gigs across the city-region, kicking off on Thursday with the first of Ed Sheeran's four-night residency at the Etihad stadium tonight. The Killers will perform at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Saturday and Alicia Keys will also be headlining the AO Arena on Saturday night.
GMP has issued travel advice, with commuters urged to avoid Great Ancoats Street and the Mancunian Way. Half of the people going to Parklife will be travelling on public transport, GMP said, so services are expected to be busy.
Superintendent Andy Sidebotham, GMP’s gold commander for this weekend’s events, said: "This weekend will see thousands of people visiting and staying in the centre for what will be a busy weekend that has been months in the planning. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable weekend and music-goers should expect to see police officers on the ground in and around the events and will be on hand to help anyone who needs it.
"Those attending are advised to be vigilant and keep their belongings safe and report anything suspicious to us. We’ve been working alongside partners for these events for some time and our main aim is as always, to keep everyone safe. We’re very experienced in dealing with high profile events like this and welcoming thousands to Greater Manchester and officers will be at all of the events and anyone needing any assistance or help is more than welcome to speak to our officers."
He added: “Those planning to visit or live nearby are asked to be patient when travelling to and from the events as there will no doubt be an increased amount of traffic. Public transport is expected to be very busy and we would ask that people follow the messages and advice from our colleagues at Transport for Greater Manchester, and that those attending plan their journeys accordingly and take care.
"As always, we’re thrilled to welcome thousands back to the city centre and hope that everyone attending the concerts and Parklife festival this weekend have a safe and good weekend.”
You can read all of the latest travel advice from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) for the weekend HERE. The latest train advice can be found HERE.
