A Stirrer Campaign

BRUM HAILS CLAMPING VICTORY

05-07-2008

Birmingham Council’s Trading Standards boss is signing The Stirrer’s petition to make car clamping illegal. The news comes just 24 hours after his department hailed a major victory by securing its first conviction against a clamper in the city.

Gary Southall, the owner of National Parking Control and Nationwide Parking Control was summonsed for 8 offences under the Business Names Act 1985.
He failed to attend court and was fined £500 per offence (£4000 in total) and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £860. The Court ordered that the penalty should be paid within 28 days and a Collection Order was made in the event of non-payment.

Mr Southall’s businesses, based in Digbeth, Birmingham, charge motorists £375 to recover their vehicles after they have been towed away for parking on private property. No allowance is made for whether the vehicle has been parked for 2 minutes or 2 hours and warning notices are often inadequate.

Under the Business Names Act the name of the owner of a business must be included on a business receipt if the name of the business does not consist of the name of the owner.

Receipts given by National Parking Control and Nationwide Parking Control did not include Mr Southall’s name, making it impossible for motorists to sue him if they wanted to challenge the fairness of his actions.

Nationwide Parking Control were summonsed for 2 offences and National Parking Control for the remaining 6.

Councillor Neil Eustace, the Chairman of Birmingham’s Public Protection Committee was jubilant.

He said: This result is excellent news. I hope it will make wheel clampers realise that we will do everything that we can to bring them into line. They will not be allowed to get away with ripping off motorists and ignoring the law”.

Eustace recently backed The Stirrer’s campaign to drive clamping out of the city, and revealed that he and his colleagues would use every legitimate means at their disposal to curb their activities. Taking advantage of a relatively obscure piece of business legislation is a good case in point.

Eustace is also signing up to the Downing Street petition, supported by The Stirrer, to make clamping illegal.

“Please add my name to it” he said.

“I strongly feel that car clamping is demanding money with menaces and should be made illegal immediately as it is in Scotland."

Sign the petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Ban-wheel-clamps/

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