Action is being taken against the operators of unauthorised car parks around Bristol Airport, North Somerset Council has confirmed.
Concerns have been raised that nearby fields were being used to park thousands of cars – blighting the countryside, causing issues with local communities and affecting holidaymakers who were unaware their cars would be parked in fields.
Some were also left on local roads with no security. Owners also reported damage to vehicles which had appeared to have been excessively driven, with unexplained mileage found on the clock.
Bristol Airport funds a planning and parking enforcement officer to help tackle parking issues around the airport.
Last June, Bristol Airport contributed £50,000 to help employ an officer for 12 months and confirmed a further £50,000 will follow this summer to continue this role.
The officer works in the planning enforcement team at North Somerset Council, and patrols regularly and records findings, with more than 600 site visits being made last year and some operators ending up in court and paying fines.
Earlier this year, North Somerset Council’s trading standards team urged travellers flying from Bristol Airport to be vigilant when booking airport car parking services online, due to unethical airport car parking companies.
It followed numerous complaints received about car parking companies operating in the area, leaving travellers stranded and vehicles at risk.
In some cases, travellers returned, and the parking companies were unable to locate their car, either temporarily or permanently.
Matt Lenny, the council’s director of healthy and sustainable communities, said:
“It’s all about making sure you’re confident that the provider is good before you start and it’s all about what you do before you book.
“Read the terms and conditions, make sure you’ve looked at some of the reviews. We would ask people to look for the Park Mark, the symbol of the British Parking Association.”
The Council and Bristol Airport are meeting with parish councillors to discuss areas of concern and will be holding a parking meeting later this month for representatives from all local parishes to tackle major hotspots.