A couple was left stunned after being given a speeding ticket for their car - despite being hundreds of miles away in another country. Gary Thornburn and Clare Beards had left their Golf GTi at Manchester Airport before jetting off to Murcia in southern Spain.
But they returned from their 13-day break to a letter telling them their car had been caught speeding two days after they had left even though it was locked in a secure compound. But what is baffling the pair is how their car could have been speeding when bosses at the car park insist it never left their premises.
The couple from Leeds, left their car at the Manchester Terminal 3 Meet and Greet on August 3, then set off on their trip. But they returned on August 16 to find the unwelcome letter, reports the Manchester Evening News.
In the letter, dated August 10, it says their vehicle was snapped driving at 55mph in a 30mph limit. It included images of a white Golf GTI with the same number plate as it broke the law.
However it also stated the offence happened on August 5. This was two days after the pair had left their car with the official firm.
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.
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.”
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