A complete ban of the practice of clamping was called for earlier last year, giving the wheel clamping and car park management industry a huge wake up call. The ban was said at the time to be coming into place very soon, although this hasn't happened yet.

Through persistent campaigning by those involved in the wheel clamping trade, the wheel clamping ban has been postponed, giving wheel clampers and car park management professionals a chance to start driving out the rogue clampers and policing themselves better.

If better rules are written up, with things such as a certain amount of time before vehicles can be towed, and some kind of maximum cap on clamp removal fees, the clamping industry would still stand a chance of retaining its respect.

It is only because of these so called "cowboy" clampers who charge ludicrous release rates, tow away with even more excessive charges, clamp without a decent reason and abuse and blackmail to gain money from their unfortunate victims, that the clamping industry has had to come under this threat. So it is only right that these individuals be forced out of the clamping industry.

Without wheel clamping car parks would be awful, with disabled drivers, mothers and children and other specific parking bay users undergoing the worst of it. Barriers have been suggested as an alternative to clamping cars, but who is to pay for these barriers? The landowner, or the car park manager? It is a much more cost effective car park management method to use the clamp as a deterrent.

So although there may be some problems in the wheel clamping industry, the answer isn't to shut it down completely because there isn't really a good alternative, the industry just needs to be more active in stopping offending clampers.