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T<\/span>erence Baxter* had booked a meet-and-greet service to park his Volkswagen at Heathrow airport while he and his wife went on holiday. The couple handed over the keys at the drop-off site and were driven to the terminal \u2013 and that was the last they saw of their car. On their return they were informed by the company it had been stolen.<\/p>\n Their case comes as airports and police forces are warning travellers to be wary of \u201cunofficial\u201d operators advertising cheap long-stay parking after a rise in complaints.<\/p>\n Returning holidaymakers have been reporting vehicles that have been damaged, burgled or stolen while in the care of meet-and-greet companies.<\/p>\n Some have received penalty charge notices (PCNs) for parking breaches while their cars were in supposedly secure compounds, while others were left stranded at the arrivals terminal when their meet-and-greet service failed to materialise.<\/p>\n Anyone can set up as a parking operator and trade legally, provided they are not in breach of airline bylaws. The unscrupulous companies usually do not have contracts with landowners. Some operators \u201cmoonlight\u201d from the car parks of airport hotels \u2013 where customers are directed to drop off their cars \u2013 and then dump the vehicles on land outside the airport perimeter, including on construction sites and in fields.<\/p>\n