Unauthorised airport car park grows despite stop notice

Unauthorised airport car park grows despite stop noticeImage source, John Fairhall/BBCImage caption, New Farm, near the village of Elsenham, Essex, started offering alternative parking to Stansted Airport in early 2025ByGabby Colenso, East Investigations and Alex Murray, BBC VerifyPublished1 hour agoAn unauthorised car park near Stansted Airport has grown by nearly two-thirds since it was served with an enforcement notice to shut, a BBC investigation has found.The facility was set up in early 2025 at New Farm, near the village of Elsenham, Essex, offering an alternative, cheaper option to nearby Stansted Airport.But customers described scenes of "mayhem" when they returned from holiday to find overcrowded transport, along with damaged and dirty cars and long waits for collection.The business directors and a service provider linked to the site have not responded to requests for comment and Uttlesford District Council, which issued the notice, said it would continue to monitor until an appeal was heard.'It was mayhem'Image source, Gabby Colenso/BBCImage caption, Mark Reardon said his rear number plate was sitting on his windscreen and his vehicle had suffered damageMark Reardon, from near Swaffham, Norfolk, said he had been shocked by the condition of his vehicle held at the car park after returning from a family holiday in Spain in June. "The seats had all been laid down. It looked like someone had been sleeping in it because we had blankets in the car and they'd all been moved," he said.His rear number plate was sitting on his windscreen and his vehicle had suffered damage, including a broken door handle and scrape marks."I just don't know how they can run a place like this. It was absolute mayhem," he said. The New Farm site covers about seven acres (three hectares) and was formerly agricultural land. The land was rapidly converted into a car park without permission for a change of use and it can now hold up to 1,00...