Clamping Award
Trophy for the most inconsiderate clamper of them all
A Yorkshire wheel-clamper who immobilised a car whilst the driver was asleep in the vehicle was today named as the UK’s worst clamper.
The winner was identified after a national search by the RAC Foundation to find the clamper who acts in the most vindictive, aggressive or bully-boy manner. The winner, who operates in the Howarth area, is the first recipient of the infamous "Dick Turpin" award for being the modern day equivalent of a highway robber.
The winner was chosen by the Reverend Ian Gregory, the founder of the Campaign for Courtesy, and the RAC Foundation.
Often operating from PO Box addresses and using mobile phones, cowboy clampers show little mercy or compassion to their victims. In England and Wales, clampers are free to clamp any motorist who mistakenly parks on private land. Basically they charge any amount they can get away with.
Ruled to be "extortion and theft" in Scotland since 1992, wheel clamping on private land was banned overnight. A campaign by the RAC Foundation led the Government to establish a new authority to license the practice of wheel clamping on private land. The new Security Industry Authority will set licence all clampers but are unlikely to be effective before the end of next year, but for the time being clampers still have a free hand to act as cowboys.
The RAC Foundation was inundated with responses from throughout the UK when they started the national quest to find the worst clamper. Shocking case studies showed the extremes to which clampers are prepared to go:
- The UK’s worst clamper allegedly threatened clamped motorists with large dogs. Elderly ladies were forced to pay the clamp removal charge in Marks & Spencer vouchers. A heavily pregnant woman was made to walk with her young child to a cash point over two miles away. Local traders in the area have said that the heavy-handed tactics of the company have caused a substantial downturn in tourism in the area.
- A Dorset based clamping firm stooped to a new low when clamping a Royal Mail delivery van.
- A man from Cheshire parked in what appeared to be the designated spot for customers at the rear of a shop with his wife who is recovering from cancer. His vehicle was clamped and he was forced to pay the removal fee despite making representations to the shop owner.
- Staff at a firm in North West London have been reported for telling members of the public that they are allowed to park on the site, but then immediately clamp them if they do.
- A woman reported a company who operate in the Cardiff area. They tried to tow a vehicle away when a young child was in the rear seat. A disabled woman was forced to pay £95 to the same company for parking outside a charity shop, where she was delivering some items.
- A clamper in Essex openly admitted that he changes the name of his company regularly to avoid paying any tax.
- A man who broke down on a busy road, pulled into the car park at a local pub. He went to find a phone box so that he could call out the RAC leaving his 82-year-old disabled wife in the vehicle. Clampers appeared immediately and demanded that the woman move the car. As she was unable to do this because of her disability, they clamped the vehicle and demanded £80 for its removal.
- A man from the West Midlands nominated a firm in Blackpool. He was forced to pay £250 to have the clamp removed despite parking on the land for a few seconds
- A nomination was received for a cowboy clamping company in London. Residents staying at a hotel were given parking permits but the cowboys still clamped a number of vehicles. When the police were called the clamper claimed that the wheel clamp had been tampered with.
The RAC Foundation now intends to send their dossier of the worst cases to the Security Industry Authority so that when they eventually set up their licensing scheme they will be able to check on the past record of clampers.
Is it just me, or do the Scots have a much more common-sense attitude to their laws? Every story I hear where there's a difference in English and Scottish law, the Scots have got it right, whereas Bliar has got it so very wrong.
Do the clampers need a contract, or at least permission from the owner of the property to clamp.
When in UK I use a spot in my brother's car park, I don't consult his partners am I in danger of being clamped.
Actually, looking at it from the other point of veiw.
If some peon parked in a spot that I was relying on for a meeting or lunch I'd probably want him "outathere"
Any clampers in hospital yet!
Jeff
Lived in Germany for 10 years now and about 6 years ago was visiting parents in Blackpool in my German registered car.
Parked my car in the town centre and when I came back the T**T had clamped my car.
Called the aforementioned piece of S**T and played Jonny foreigner when he arived. After he pointed to a sign about 15ft up on the wall and showing no sympathy with me I said I would come back tommorrow as I had no money.
Later that night came back with a mate and the previously mentioned angle grinder and the offending clamp was removed.
Never heard another thing.
1-0 to the people!!
Thats for anyone who ever got done by these dreggs of society
Cheers
>> Edited by pauly on Thursday 27th November 17:41
When the aforementioned bar-stewards clamp your car, providing you don’t have centre locks or those horrid plastic covers over your nuts, this may work and is, I think, legal!
Make sure you have a spare tyre that is in full working order
deflate your clamped wheel
this will give you enough room to get access to one of the nuts
undo and move the wheel around until the next nut is accessible, repeat until all nuts are removed and the wheel will come off.
Put the clamp to one side having removed your wheel.
fit spare and drive off!
Don’t damage their property, and get ready with the wheel wrench in case they return before completing the above!! (That last bit, isn’t the most legal of parts and I don’t advocate the use of violence even to these heartless .......)
As it was a lower car than your bog standard family saloon they used a triangle of steel plate to cover the wheel centre and a chain at each corner, complete with dirty great padlock.
So I storm off, got a taxi home, had a calming cup of tea and went back with my hacksaw and a few blades.
Did you know you can saw through a tensile steel chain link quite quickly when you are fuming???
I cut a link off next to the padlock, stuck the link in my pocket and left the clamp in a heap in the parking bay.
Never heard another thing about it and continued to park there every day for several months.
Clampers 0 Angrymotoristme 1
It does get anoying that people park for free and block access on paid parking spaces/land. I have some parking paid (at great expence) and I get anoyed when people ignor the private parking signs. I dont have a clamp but block them in and then only remove the car when they have apologised and waited an extra 15 mins.
So i can see it from the other side of the fence as well.
How much does a clamp cost?
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