Rochford woman's fury at clampers who kept car overnight (From Echo)

Rochford woman's fury at clampers who kept car overnight

4:00am Tuesday 7th April 2009 in Search

AN ANGRY motorist said a clamping firm charged an extra £50 to collect her car after refusing to release it the day it was towed away.

Fidelma Fitzgerald, 20, from Rochford, was shocked to discover her MG missing after she parked it on land by Rochford station.

When the shop supervisor called clamping firm LBS Enforcement, who had removed her car, she was initially told that she could pick up the vehicle straight away.

But then she heard the employee change his mind and he told her to instead collect the vehicle from the pound the next day – leaving her more out of pocket.

Miss Fitzgerald, who lives in Sutton Court Drive, paid £480 and said: “I’m annoyed. I was told to come back the next day instead because they were closing.

“It’s my fault I parked there because I was running late. But I was prepared to get the car straight away.”

Miss Fitzgerald had parked her car on the land near a nursery, before commuting to work in London.

She returned to where her car had been at about 4.45pm and telephoned LBS just before 5pm, asking if she could settle immediately.

“If they say ‘yes’ and then ‘no’, that’s not right,” added Miss Fitzgerald, whose mum collected the car on Friday.

An employee from LBS, who refused to give his name, said: “We close at 5pm on weekdays and we couldn’t let her pick it up after that time because of health and safety reasons.

“Her car was in the pound for two days technically because it was there after midnight. But we only charged her for one day – not two.”

The news comes after the Government announced a tightening up of clamping rules and a crackdown on “rogue” firms. This would involve creating an industry regulator to make it easier for unhappy drivers to appeal.