Fans furious at wheel clamping (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Fans furious at wheel clamping

Ref. 29912FOOTBALL fans were left fuming when they returned to their cars after Saturday's match and found they had been wheel clamped.

More than 30 vehicles on the car park of the former Charlie Browns autocentre off Ocotal Way were targeted during Swindon Town's clash with Bristol City at the nearby County Ground.

One fan, Mike Dean of Cavie Close, Nine Elms, was furious when he returned to his car with his twin 14-year-old sons, Robert and Thomas, to discover he had been clamped.

He has been parking there all season without problems and claims there were no visible signs.

He had parked in one of the bays at the side of Charlie Browns.

He said: "It was outrageous, I've been parking there for the past 18 home games.

"I am certain this was done out of spite because they knew it was a sell-out match on Saturday so they could clamp the maximum number of people."

Mike, 49, who works for Nationwide, was one of about 30 people who had to pay the £85 release fee.

He said: "Lots of people were getting abusive and shouting at the two clampers, but there was no way they were going to change their minds.

"I just paid the money and will make a complaint to the company later on.

"It did taint the day. As we were driving home, one of my sons said it had spoilt what had been a great afternoon."

When approached by the Evening Advertiser, one of the two men fitting clamps to the cars said: "We're just doing what we've been told to do. This land is private property and there are signs telling members of the public not to park here.

"We were also warning people before the match not to park here because we would be clamping this afternoon."

Motorists had to pay £85 to have their car released and £200 if it was towed away, with a £20 surcharge every subsequent day.

A spokesman for Premier Parking Services, the company clamping the cars on Saturday, said signs warning people against parking there had been installed earlier this year.

"There's significant signage warning people not to park there unless you are using the retail units," he said.

"There had been problems with people parking there and it was making the area congested."

He said the Bridgwater-based company would not have been aware there was a match that day, and the rules applied 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Although the company did not monitor the car park every day of the week, staff had visited the site on Saturday warning drivers not to park there, he added.

Emma-Kate Lidbury

Andy Tate