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Driver caught out parking on motorway hard shoulder to avoid airport charges

North West Motorway Police shared an image of a car pulled over on the hard shoulder of a motorway while waiting to collect passengers from Manchester Airport. (Twitter/North West Motorway Police)
North West Motorway Police shared an image of a car pulled over on the hard shoulder of a motorway while waiting to collect passengers from Manchester Airport. (Twitter/North West Motorway Police)

It's not unusual to see people parked up near airports to avoid having to pay charges at car parks and pick-up zones.

But one driver took things a step further by parking up on the hard shoulder of a motorway near Manchester Airport.

The driver's failed bid to avoid-pick up charges was shared online by North West Motorway Police, who issued the motorist with a Traffic Offence Report (TOR).

In a post on Twitter at 1.24am on Saturday (23 April), North West Motorway Police shared a picture of the Citroen C4 Cactus parked on the hard shoulder as traffic flies past.

The caption with it reads: "Driver seen by ME54 stopped on hard shoulder at Manchester Airport waiting to collect people - TOR issued."

Drivers are only allowed to stop on the hard shoulder in an emergency or if told to do so by the police.

Motorists who pull over onto the hard shoulder for any other reason can incur a £100 fine and three penalty points.

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The post sparked concern from fellow road users, with one saying it was a common occurrence, suggesting changes should be made to short-term parking at the airport.

Twitter user @slugsie wrote: "This seems to happen often enough that it should be obvious that something needs to be done about short term parking for pick ups at the airport."

Bus driver @Thes0nogg0d added: "I drive a bus around the airport and it’s ridiculous how so many people park on the hard shoulder, roundabouts within road traffic cones where the building works happening on the pavements next to the entrance of the bus station need to put some cameras up and get people fined."