End of the road

THE revelation that cowboy car clampers make £55m a year will not surprise those motorists locally who have fallen foul of parking rules in the iconic Brontë village of Haworth, or those other locations where unsuspected drivers have seen their vehicle effectively impounded.

By The Newsroom

Published 11th Feb 2011, 00:00 BST

A balance needs to be struck. Parking rules have to be enforced – there are already enough selfish motorists on the road – but operators should not regard this as a green light to charge exorbitant sums, running into hundreds of pounds, for the most minor of infringements.

Nevertheless, considerable – and unnecessary – heartache could have been avoided if there were already clear rules in place to govern the clamping industry. And while the Government is, finally, bringing forward its plans this week, the legislation should be straight-forward.

In return for a licence, all clamping firms should sign a code of conduct which sets out clear rules on the level of sanctions that can be imposed against errant drivers. If operators abuse these rules, they should have their licence revoked. It couldn’t be simpler.

Government