TRADERS at Wootton Bassett's French market had no sooner arrived in town than they promptly had their vans wheel-clamped.

Five French stall-holders were facing £95 fees to remove the clamps after parking in a private car park behind the rear entrance to Lloyds Bank.

The irate Gallic traders said they had no idea it was illegal to park there and blamed the council for not giving them better directions.

The private car park is next to the large public car park at the rear of Boroughfields shopping centre.

Pierre Opderbeck, 33, from Normandy, runs an enamelware stall.

He said: "If they had told us it's not possible to park we wouldn't have done so I didn't see any sign.

"I arrived at 7.30am when the rest of the car park was empty, so I would have been happy to move."

Mr Opderbeck said his van had only been in place for three hours when he paid the clamping charge and moved it.

It worked out at a parking fee of over £30 an hour.

He said: "It was not a very nice surprise."

The traders came mainly from the Normandy region of northern France and were selling food and craft products on the High Street.

Traders' spokeswoman Brigitte Franan produced a fax which seemed to show the clamping area as the car park they were supposed to use.

She said: "It's a big mistake we were sent a fax with directions for the areas of the market and the areas to put the vans.

"At £95 for a few hours, it is a very expensive car park. It is not a very nice welcome to this town."

Wootton Bassett town clerk Jonathan Vaughan said: "They were asked to park at the back by Boroughfields.

"Part of that is a private car park. There is a sign up but they couldn't read the English apparently.

"I think the French parked there because they wanted to keep the rest of the car park free for members of the public.

"We faxed details over to them but we did not fax any parking details."

The clamps were put in place by Security International Group.

Managing director Clive Deacon said: "The people who use that car park called us up and said they couldn't use it because all these vans were in the way."

He said they have a contract to run a wheel-clamping service but declined to name the car park owners.

The French market has been set up as part of a fun weekend in the town. But local traders are unhappy that the French have been invited. They claim their arrival, together with the decision to close part of the street, has deprived them of income.

Ben Bean, 30, who owns Bassett Bakery, claimed his trade was down £300 yesterday.

He said: "All the traders are very unhappy it's basically taking all our trade away. They don't pay any tax or rates.

"They have put a flower stall right outside a flower shop. A lot of traders are planning to shut in protest."

Maggie Mullard, who runs the card shop, Occasions, on the High Street, said: "I'm disappointed at the lack of information we've received about this market.

"The first I knew about it was when I arrived at my shop this morning. I think we should be supporting our own farmers."