A HEREFORDSHIRE MP has vented his frustration at airports in a debate, despite the county not being home to a large terminal.

North Herefordshire MP Sir Bill Wiggin warned that drivers are being “forced, tricked or directed” to pay extortionate amounts to drop off or collect passengers at airports.

Conservative MP Sir Bill said airports are entitled to charge where the land is privately owned but insisted “the taxpayer has already paid for the road up to the airport”.

Despite this, he said the signposts “do not send you as a driver to a safe and free place for drop-off or collection”.

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Sir Bill urged the Government to ensure that road taxpayers have the right to remain on public roads instead of being “herded onto private land where we are exploited”.

He claimed two-thirds of the UK’s busiest airports have put their parking prices up, but his constituency, which includes Bromyard, Ledbury, Leominster and Kington, lacks an airport.

Instead, his constituents face a 90-minute trip to Birmingham, or slightly further to Manchester, Bristol or Cardiff, to jet off for their summer holidays.

His concerns were raised during a Westminster Hall debate, where transport minister Huw Merriman told MPs the Government is “keen to improve the regulation of the parking industry”.

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The Tory MP said: “Drivers are being forced, tricked or directed to pay extortionate amounts to drop off or collect passengers at airports. To make matters worse, two thirds of the UK’s busiest airports have put their prices up.

“Now of course, airports are entitled to charge where the land is privately owned but the taxpayer has already paid for the road up to the airport.

“Yet the signposts do not send you as a driver to a safe and free place for drop off or collection.”

Sir Bill noted “no stopping zones” on the roads leading up to the airport means the “principles of choice and safety are not obvious” and that “drivers are being deliberately exploited”.

“The Department for Transport must make it clear on approach roads where these free and safe options can be found.

“Government needs to ensure that the road taxpayer has the right to remain on the public roads, which we have paid for rather than be herded onto private land where we are exploited,” he said.

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Mr Merriman told MPs he recognises that the introduction of a charge for dropping off passengers when this might have been free previously “may be frustrating”, but stressed “drop-off charges is a matter solely for the airport operator as a commercial business”.

He added: “I would encourage airports to set out their intentions towards drop-off charges and parking and to use their specific airport transport forums to develop and oversee implementation of plans for future surface transport provision.

“This will help prevent confusion, the risk of inadvertently entering drop-off zones, but also will reduce the chances of accidents due to drivers taking evasive action to stop themselves from entering such a zone.”

If drivers feel that signage at airports does not make them aware of the arrangements and requirements for drop-off charges, Mr Merriman said “they can submit an appeal to Parking on Private Land Appeals service”.

He went on: “We will continue to keep this position under review as part of the Government’s work on a single code of practice for parking companies.”