1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152 
Driver queries clamping fee
Page 10
Page 11
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
II by Bnma Penny A driver is protesting after having to fork out £150— rather than the £85 standard fee he believes should have applied—to have his truck unclamped on a service road outside a superstore.
John Hunt, who drives for Coventry-based international haulier John English, had parked on a road outside the Tesco store in West Thurrock to buy some cold remedy. When he returned to his truck 20 minutes later, it had been clamped.
"I parked on a service road where it said there was no overnight or weekend parking, and when I Came back there
was a bloke standing beside a white van and he'd clamped my lorry and another one parked on the road."
Hunt had to pay the man 1150 for the damp to be released, plus another 2,5 for paying by credit card.
"There was a very small sign about clamping, which said that the clamp release fee was 185, yet I was charged £150, which is the fee for removal of the vehicle from the site."
He adds that on the ticket he was given the £85 fee was crossed out, and the £150 charge hand-written in its place.
“I was also extremely suspicious about the legality of the situation; when I questioned his tion for clamping
on that site and asked for his company-issued identity, my questions went unanswered." He says the damper had no uniform or identification, and no mark
ings on his van.
Hunt says he called the police, who were not interested in the matter and advised him to pay up.
He says he will pursue the matter further, and has appealed against his fine on the grounds that the fine was excessive, was not what was advertised on the sign, and that the sign was misleading.
When contacted by Commercial Motor, the clamping company, Slough-based PCM, said all its operatives wear uniform and carry ID. Manager Mark Davis also says that it is policy to charge commercial vehicles £150 for releasing clamps. However, he has promised to investigate the matter if Hunt contacts the company.
IMAM