Wheel clamping on private property banned

Lynne Featherstone: 'Well, I have the great pleasure of announcing that the coalition government is true to its agreement and its commitment to tackle rogue private wheel clampers, and I’m announcing that it’s going to be banned, outright – and so is towing away.

'And I think there cannot be a person – or an MP for that matter – throughout this land who has not had an experience – and probably a bad experience – when they’ve either had abusive treatment, there’s been signs that they couldn’t see and they’ve parked illegally or against the rules without knowing it – has then had to face exorbitant fees or been towed away and charged for the pleasure.

'And everyone has tried to make wheel clamping work. And to carry on trying to make something work that doesn’t really work, that is so disproportionate to the crime, that is so distressing to motorists who find themselves with £400 bills for, really, a crime that’s not of that proportion.

'But I think, on the whole, everyone will heave a sigh of relief that something that never really worked is now not going to have to.'

Date: Tue Aug 17 12:05:09 BST 2010