Increased Reports of Unauthorised Matchday Parking in Liverpool Spur Joint Police and Council Action

Police are working with Liverpool City Council following increased reports of individuals gaining access onto private land near Anfield stadium to illegally charge motorists to park their vehicles on matchdays.

In many of these incidents, damage has been caused to fences or gates in order to access council-owned or private sites before charging people to park on the land.

Vehicles are then packed into tight spaces and they often spill out onto the street, making it impossible for emergency service vehicles to get past.

It also causes significant disruption for local residents as it impacts on their ability to access or park outside their own homes.

We have also received reports of individuals making threats and using intimidation when operating the illegal parking sites if they are ever challenged by council workers or local residents.

Most recently, it was reported that a man cut through steel poles in order to gain access onto a small patch of grass on Hayfield Street before charging drivers to park on the land.

Two vehicles were removed for causing an obstruction and enquiries are ongoing to find the person who caused the damage and then fraudulently charged people to park at the location.

There is very limited parking available near to Anfield stadium and drivers are strongly advised to use public transport where possible or legitimate pay and display car parks away from the stadium.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for north Liverpool, Chris Taylor said: “The people responsible for breaking onto these sites are extremely irresponsible and clearly don’t care about the people who live in the area.

“They often cause damage to sites by breaking through gates or fences before packing vehicles into small areas.

“It not only causes disruption for people who live in the area, but also impacts on the ability for emergency service vehicles to access certain roads.

“We are determined to reduce these incidents and we continue to work with partners, including Liverpool City Council.

“Officers will be patrolling the Anfield area on matchdays and joint operations with the council are ongoing to target particular sites that have been used in the past.

“There is very limited parking near Anfield stadium so our advice is for people to use public transport or if this isn’t possible, use legitimate pay and display car parks away from the stadium.

“If you are aware of a site being used illegally for parking, please call 101 or DM @MerPolCC on social media and make us aware so we can take action.”

Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Illegal parking causes problems for local residents, other motorists and emergency service vehicles. We are stepping up our efforts to tackle the issue by recruiting more enforcement officers, and we will not hesitate to ticket vehicles that are causing an issue.

“Our message to people travelling to matches is to plan it carefully, use public transport if at all possible and, if you are driving, park legally.”