MY daughter and I visited Asda Walmart and parked within the bounds of the shopping area, failing to see the notice advising us of wheel clamping.

There were no other parking spaces available and her car was not obstructing any other vehicles or preventing them coming out of parking spaces.

On returning to the car about an hour later we discovered it had been clamped and while my daughter and I admit and accept culpability, I am writing to readers as a cautionary tale to other drivers, as to the manner of this operation.

A notice was attached demanding instant payment of £110, also in threatening terms advising us that non-payment of this amount would result in the car being towed away, incurring a further exorbitant charge.

This situation gives rise to several questions. On whose authority are these wheel clamps directed? The badly worded notice gives rise to doubt, as does the cavalier manner in which the whole scenario was conducted. Had it not been so costly, it would have been laughable.

The so-called security company responsible for this process is based at some obscure box number address and on contacting them, my daughter tried to negotiate, eventually after several phone calls to them, arriving at £80. Please be aware that I am not complaining about being fined as we accept that the fault was ours, but about the manner in which this situation was conducted.

Perhaps the shopping complex should renamed the Exorbitant Shopping Centre!

(Mrs) K FISHER

Rosebery Street