Claire Reid
A couple were left confused after being hit with a speeding fine, despite them being on holiday at the time.
Gary Thornburn and Clare Beards flew to Murcia in Spain on 3 August, where they spent just shy of two weeks soaking up the sun.
Before flying out the couple left their Golf GTI with Meet & Greet parking staff at Manchester Airport.
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However, when they returned home to Leeds on 16 August they discovered a prosecution letter from the police dated from 10 August claiming their Golf GTI was caught driving 55mph in a 30 zone 11 miles from the airport.
The letter came with photos of a car of the same model, with the same licence plate.
Manchester Airport has said the car was taken to its secure compound by staff on the same day the couple flew and that it remained there for the entire time they were on holiday, so it couldn't have been used to commit the alleged offence.
The couple have since got in touch with Greater Manchester Police to tell them the alleged offence was not committed by them.
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Gary said: "I wouldn't have ever thought somebody would've been driving around in it going at such a speed. It's a criminal offence and extremely dangerous going 55mph in a 30 zone."
He added: "I have used meet and greet firms before and never had an issue.
"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."
A spokesperson 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.
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“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.”