Hampered by clampers

3:29pm Thursday 28th February 2008

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A wheel-clamping company has angered shoppers and traders in Bounds Green with its "over-zealous" policy to stop illegal parking.

Sango Security Ltd is clamping and towing away cars left for a matter of minutes in Latham Court, off Brownlow Road.

Signs between shops warn that vehicles left unattended will be clamped and towed away at an average cost of £170, payable only in cash.

The small privately owned service road, lined with a handful of shops, has 24-hour parking restrictions in place.

Residents claim the restriction is unclear, with limited road markings and signs meaning drivers are unwittingly breaking the restrictions.

Earlier this month, Susan Soper, of Victoria Road, Alexandra Park, parked in Latham Court while she picked up her friend from nearby Bounds Green Tube station, unaware parking was prohibited.

When she returned to her car moments later, it had been clamped.

She said: "I had no reason to suspect I was on private property.

"There is poor signage, a lack of yellow lines on the road and road users do not expect service roads in front of shops to be private property.

"I felt like I'd been mugged. It was very unpleasant. The system seems to be taking advantage of people who are taking or picking up people from the station. I was there only a minute."

Shon Hakmi was also recently caught out in Latham Court when she parked to top-up her bus pass in a shop.

She said: "I couldn't believe it. I was shocked and upset. It was as if they were trying to trick me. It is not clear that the road is private."

Legally, provided the wheel-clampers have a licence from the Security Industry Authority, they can clamp cars on private land and neither the police nor local authority can do anything about it. There is also no law governing the amount charged to release a clamped car.

But according to shopkeepers, this uncomprimising approach is affecting business.

Yi Sing, manager of Clockwork Pharmacy, opposite Latham Court said: "People are coming in to get medicines and a few minutes later they are clamped.

"It's affecting business. If customers get clamped, they're not going to come in again and I do see some decrease in sales of prescriptions."

Colin Simpson, company director of Sango Security, said: "We only clamp people who park illegally. We have got signs up that clearly state it's private property but some were ripped down.

"I don't think we're clamping people unnecessarily there and if we are, I will look into it."

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