Car Clamping

Sometimes people take their chances and park where they shouldn't thinking they're not going to be long enough to get a ticket or have their wheels clamped. Some are lucky but for others who have had their car clamped, everything halts down. If you're car hasn't been towed away, then you can make a phone call and pay the release fee and get back to what you need to do. However if you're car has been taken, then the fees will work out more expensiive.

Car clamping law

All wheel clampers must have a licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA). They must also have their licence number on a badge clearly visible on their clothing when they are clamping a vehicle. There are no regulations at the moment but clampers have to charge a reasonable fee to release the car. Release fees start from £50 up to a staggering £670 which is absolutely ridiculous. If you have checked that the clamper is registered and still do not accept the fine, then your car will not be released. The more time you lose getting your car back, the more you're going to pay in charges. This is because you have to pay storage fees (a daily charge while your car is at the car pound), the release fee and the Fixed Penalty Charge (FPC) for illegal parking. The best thing to do is to pay the car clamping fees and contact a solicitor to get your money back.

When a wheel clamper releases your vehicle on payment, they must provide a receipt with the following information clearly on it:

• Location where vehicle was clamped
• Their name and licence
• Their SIA number
• The date

You can also check to make sure a clamper is registered by going on their website http://sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/. If the clamper fails to provide a valid licence or starts to use threatening language/behaviour, then call the police. Clamping without a licence is illegal and they will suffer the consequences. Remember you have the right to ask to see documentation to check they have the licence to clamp your car to make sure there's no illegal car clamping going on as quite a few people have reported clamping on their private property and they had to make complaints to stop it from happening again.