Rosie Winterton

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Rosie welcomes tougher laws for wheel clampers

Doncaster MP Rosie Winterton today welcomed the news that all people involved with wheel clamping and the removal of cars will now require a license in order to operate.

Up to now, a loop hole in the law meant that only the person actually putting the wheel clamp on or removing the car required a licence. This meant that the person demanding payment for removing a clamp didn’t need a licence to operate, if they didn’t put the clamp on. This loophole meant that some rogue clampers were able to terrorise motorists by operating unfairly and could not be investigated by the police.

Last year Rosie Winterton MP and Mayor Martin Winter launched an appeal for people to report incidents involving wheel-clampers to trading standards in order to see if tougher action was needed against the clampers. The Government has listened to the concerns of the public and the law has now been changed.

The amendment to the Security Industry Act which was announced by Vernon Coaker MP last week, means that now the activities of removing a wheel clamp, returning a vehicle which has been removed or restricted, and charging for either of these activities need to be licensed.

Rosie Winterton says

“This change is good news for motorists. I have campaigned for a long time to stop cowboy clampers terrorising motorists here in Doncaster and this change makes it even more difficult for these rogue clampers to operate. “

The RAC Foundation also welcomed the move to make everyone involved in wheel-clamping hold a licence. The RAC Foundation has campaigned long and hard on behalf of motorists in the UK for this loop-hole in the law to be removed.

The amendment means that those involved in any part of wheel-clamping and removal and return of vehicles can now be investigated by the police and prosecuted if they are found to be in breach of the Security Industry Act by not holding a licence.