I’M no fan of vehicle clamping, but there is a sugges­tion some motorists may have got what they deserved last week at the Bellfield Road car park in High Wycombe.

I understand there were scenes of rage when drivers found they had been clamped and were liable for penalties of about £300 a time.

But I also understand – and please correct me if I’m wrong – that the signs were clear, and that many people were taking advantage of the free car park to walk into town and were not cust­omers of shops on the retail park there.

So you can’t blame the manage­ment of the site for trying to stop motorists taking advantage in this way.

However, the nonsensical thing about this affair, and about car clamping, is that the penalties are so unfairly high. £300 is a week’s wages for some, and while I endorse the principle of clamping and fining here, it’s ridiculous to suggest the penalty should be so heavy.

You possibly wouldn’t be fined as much as that for theft or assault in a court of law.

A £60 fine, in line with speeding penalties, would easily suffice to put these errant parkers off, and would solve the problem.

The clamping company and site management clearly acted within the law and did nothing wrong, but it’s a daft law that allows them to fine people so heavily for such a minor infringement.

Until this law is changed and clampers are strictly controlled, there will be many many more instances of outpourings of rage from drivers who become the proverbial nuts tackled by a sledgehammer.