Thursday 16th August 2007

Wardens Told To Stop Clamping Motorists

Government sets out more 'driver-friendly' parking laws

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Wardens are to be banned from clamping cars for

Clamps should only be used for repeat offenders, says Govt

a single parking offence, under new guidelines from the Department of Transport. Clamping will now be reserved for repeat offenders.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has also said that councils should not be allowed to set targets for the number of tickets issued. Councils made £1.16 billion from parking fines in 2005, compared to £638 million in 1997.

Presumably, this initiative from the DfT is to help improve the public perception of wardens, beyond its alleged present state as an intolerable set of money-sucking, quota-filling little b*******.

RAC spokesman Edmund King commented: “Clamping is a crude activity which should have been outlawed at the time of Dick Turpin.”

[Kubica]

Sounds good to me, about time too!

[dublet]

Sounds like they're starting to put some common sense into traffic policy. Here's to revising those speed limits!

[markh1]

Finally! something bordering on a positive move from the D of T.

[scottiedog]

Must be dreaming, the D of T is actually making some sort of sense!

[flattotheboards]

RAC spokesman Edmund King commented: “Clamping is a crude activity which should have been outlawed at the time of Dick Turpin.”
ye what he said.

[bri_the_fly]

I used to carry an open-ended spanner the size of the wheel nut...just incase.
Get clamped? The spanner will get behind the clamp, undo the nuts...take wheel and clamp off. Take wheel out of clamp, put wheel on car. Go home!
Quicker (and cheaper) than waiting for them to come 'release' you. F*** 'em!
Once did that outside the Cambridge pub in Shaftsbury Ave W1, and there was a crowd gathering..and when they realised what I had done they all cheered!!! hahhaha

[Ravell]

bri_the_fly said:

I used to carry an open-ended spanner the size of the wheel nut...just incase.
Get clamped? The spanner will get behind the clamp, undo the nuts...take wheel and clamp off. Take wheel out of clamp, put wheel on car. Go home!
Quicker (and cheaper) than waiting for them to come 'release' you. F*** 'em!
Once did that outside the Cambridge pub in Shaftsbury Ave W1, and there was a crowd gathering..and when they realised what I had done they all cheered!!! hahhaha

This is one of those moments of "Why didn't I think of that!"

Never been clamped thankfully.

[fade2grey]

Does this include the private clamper's on private land? like the ones that got me at my own apartment block while loading the car! FFS

[MilnerR]

I've been clamped once in a private car park with one of those cheapo chain clamps (stayed too long). Jacked the car up, let the tyre down, squeezed the chain off around the deflated tyre put spare on and phoned the clamping company. A bloke turns up in his van ready to extract 80 quid from me, I hand him his undamaged clamp get in my car and bugger off. I was at least expecting a letter, but nothing, not a peep out of the thieving scum.


This DfT seems like a bit of sense at last. What is the point of clamping a car and therefore blocking the car in an illegal position?

[Tinohead]

Yeah from what I understand, if you remove it yourself (as described above), you need to return it to the company, or hand it into the police as lost and found. As long as you do this and it isn't damaged, there's nothing they can do.

[andyturner]

bri_the_fly said:

I used to carry an open-ended spanner the size of the wheel nut...just incase.
Get clamped? The spanner will get behind the clamp, undo the nuts...take wheel and clamp off. Take wheel out of clamp, put wheel on car. Go home!
Quicker (and cheaper) than waiting for them to come 'release' you. F*** 'em!
Once did that outside the Cambridge pub in Shaftsbury Ave W1, and there was a crowd gathering..and when they realised what I had done they all cheered!!! hahhaha

I thought most clamps (these days at least), surrounded the wheel such that even if you take the wheel off, it's still clamped?

[danrc]

Shame my car can't be clamped as its too low Love to see the clampers face as he struggled

[Skodaku]

I thought they had issued "Guidelines", not formal instructions. Will save the celebration for when I see evidence of these guidelines actually being implemented.

Guidelines are a nice way for government to say; "We have done what we can; but your Local Authority have chosen to ignore us. Nothing more we can do". Gets central government off the hook quite nicely. Or is that just me being cynical ?

[weewebbo]

Yes about time England became a more progressive society like Scotland by outlawing clamping

[rabw]

never been clamped but always thought I'd end up cutting the chain off and taking the clamp home for a bit of P38 and yellow spray paint.

[herewego]

MilnerR said:

I've been clamped once in a private car park with one of those cheapo chain clamps (stayed too long). Jacked the car up, let the tyre down, squeezed the chain off around the deflated tyre put spare on and phoned the clamping company. A bloke turns up in his van ready to extract 80 quid from me, I hand him his undamaged clamp get in my car and bugger off. I was at least expecting a letter, but nothing, not a peep out of the thieving scum.


This DfT seems like a bit of sense at last. What is the point of clamping a car and therefore blocking the car in an illegal position?

I assume it's to make sure you pay so you don't do it again.

[Who me ?]

MilnerR said:

This DfT seems like a bit of sense at last. What is the point of clamping a car and therefore blocking the car in an illegal position?

Shades of the late DAVE Allen on one of his rants on his TV show. "The car's blocking the road, ***** so what do the idiotic ****** do - clamp it and make things worse " --or words to that effect.

[gittygoat]

Heard on Talksport radio(Ian Collins show) that this is just a smoke screen to hide the the fact that they have or are about to change the law about wardens issuing tickets - In future they will not have to put ticket onto the vehicle anymore - You'll just get a ticket through the post.
Sorry I'm not too clued up on the subject, but thought I'd let you all know !

[alextgreen]

danrc said:

Shame my car can't be clamped as its too low Love to see the clampers face as he struggled

Can't even get a finger between wheel and arch on mine

[Greensleeves]

In English law, you are innocent until proven guilty. There may be a perfectly legitimate reason why your car is illegally parked such as it's broken down there, or mitigating circumstances such as you just left it there whilst you helped someone in difficulty or it was wrongly clamped in the first place. In which case, you would like to offer a defence. Clamping removes this right.

What's the crack with the big bruisers who hang around in car parks with a van full of clamps and stick a photocopied bit of paper on your windscreen with their mobile number on it. Surely they can't be legal?