An outraged dad is fuming after being forced to pay £28 to drop his son off at Manchester Airport.
Paul Atherton made the journey to the airport to drop off his son, but as he was leaving Terminal One he got a call to say he had forgotten his bag in the car.
The 50-year-old had expected to pay another £3 for re-entering the drop off zone, and was left shocked when the parking meter told him he now owed £25.
A dad-of-two, he claims there were no visible signs, warning drivers that they would be penalised for re-entering the drop-off zone within a 30 minute period.
In total, Paul, from Macclesfield, said he was charged £28, when factoring in the £3 he had paid to drop off his son the first time.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Paul said: "It's not so much the money, it's the principal.
"There must be loads of people this has happened to, it's not uncommon to drop someone off and for them to have forgotten something.
"They've really got you by the balls."
The current drop-off charges, which have not been short of controversy, mean it costs £3 to park for five minutes and £4 for ten minutes.
Manchester Airport's website does state that a no return within 30 minutes restriction is in place, and states that re-entering the area will attract a £25 fine.
But Paul claims when he entered the drop-off zone, there were no clear signs warning him of the charges.
He said: "If I had known it was going to cost me £25 I would have put it in the car park, but there was nothing there telling me I'd get fined," he said.
"I'm sure there are signs somewhere with minuscule writing, but my point is that it is not clear or prominent when you arrive at the airport.
"It's just the unfairness of it all really."
Airport bosses introduced the new charges in 2018, aimed at reliving crippling congestion around the site.
But the roll-out was controversial, and while some holidaymakers welcomed the move, others slammed it as an extra tax.
A Manchester Airport spokesman, said: “We were clear when we introduced new arrangements for drop-off last summer that our reason for doing so was to reduce the crippling congestion on our forecourts.
"One of the main issues it tackled was the levels of recirculation we were seeing with one in five cars hitting the forecourts at least twice at peak times.
“When we brought in the charges, we widely communicated not only the drop-off charges but also the recirculation penalty charges.
"The terms and conditions are also listed on our website and on signage as you enter the forecourts.
"If customers are required to return within 30 minutes we’d recommend they use the pick-up areas to avoid the penalty charge."
