Wheel clamping on
private land will be banned in England and Wales, the Government
announced today.
The ban will be introduced in the Government’s Freedom Bill in
November and will come into force shortly after Royal Assent.
Once in place, anyone who clamps a vehicle or tows it away on
private land will face tough penalties.
Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone said:
"The Government is committed to ending the menace of
rogue private sector wheel-clampers once and for all.
"For too long motorists have fallen victim to
unscrupulous tactics by many clamping firms. Reports of motorists
being marched to cash points or left stranded after their car has
been towed are simply unacceptable.
"A ban on clamping and towing on private land will end
this abuse and companies who decide to flout new laws will face
severe penalties."
Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman Baker
said:
"The rules governing parking on private land should be
proportionate and should not result in motorists being intimidated
or forced to pay excessive fines.
"Cowboy clampers have had ample opportunity to mend
their ways but the cases of bullying and extortion persist.
"That is why we are putting an end to these outrageous
practices once and for all to ensure that drivers no longer have
to fear intimidation from rogue traders, allowing the parking
industry to begin to restore its reputation with the motoring public."
Currently, any individual undertaking wheel clamping must hold a
frontline licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA), with
supervisors or directors holding a non-frontline licence.
This activity will cease once the ban is in place.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The ban will apply to private land only. It will not change
existing traffic enforcement by local authorities and police on highways.
2. The ban will also apply to towing away and all other forms of
vehicle immobilisation. Once implemented, anyone who clamps (or
otherwise immobilises) a vehicle or tows it away on private land
without specific legal authority to do so will face criminal
proceedings or civil sanctions.
3. There will be very limited circumstances in which legal
authority to remove vehicles will remain. The Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Authority (DVLA) will retain the legal authority to
clamp or tow away vehicles as part of its work in combating
evasion of Vehicle Excise Duty. The Vehicle and Operator Services
Authority has similar powers to prevent the use of un-roadworthy
vehicles on the road.
4. The SIA currently licences any individual in England and Wales
involved in immobilising vehicles on private land with a view to
charging a release fee. It also requires the licensing of anyone
involved in blocking in or towing away vehicles for the same
purpose, and of those who collect the fee. This activity will
cease once the ban is in place.
5. Businesses are not
required to be licensed at present. Businesses may, however, seek
accreditation under the SIA's voluntary Approved
Contractor Scheme.
6. There are currently 2,150 individuals who are licensed by the
SIA to clamp.
Contacts:
Home Office Press Office
Phone: 020 7035 3535
NDS.HO@coi.gsi.gov.uk