Wheel clampers 'out of control' say residents (From Streatham Guardian)

Streatham wheel clampers are 'out of control', say Gipsy Hill residents

11:20am Wednesday 6th May 2009 in News By Matt Watts

A Gipsy Hill family have hit out at “overzealous” wheel clampers employed by a housing association after being victims of a string of controversial clampings.

Last year Bette Bone was clamped five minutes after parking outside her son Andrew Bone’s home in Rusholme Grove after coming to meet her newborn granddaughter for the first time.

She was forced to pay £175 to remove the clamp despite showing a valid visitors permit to the Nighthawk Security clamper when she rushed back to her car.

Then on Sunday, April 25, Mr Bone’s partner Vissey Safavi’s car was clamped when their permit was partially obscured by a separate pay-and-display car park ticket that had fallen in front of it.

She said her car was still clamped despite it being well known to the security firm as being parked outside her home everyday, and claimed her protests were ignored when she tried to explain.

The family are appealing the clampings, and demanding housing association Metropolitan Home Ownership (MHP) stop employing the “out of control” clamping company to patrol their housing estates.

Some 81 vehicles have been clamped in Rusholme Grove since 2007, according to Nighthawk.

Mr Bone, said: “Nighthawk Security were supposedly employed for the benefit of the residents but seem to be doing the very opposite by punishing residents and their visitors.”

A spokesman for the firm said he was sorry the individuals felt the company’s employees were acting overzealously but this was not the case.

He also said patrol teams were not working rigorously in the area.

He said there was insufficient evidence to pay back the charges for removing the clamps without going through the appeals process - but any appeal would be closely considered.

A MHP spokesman said it took any complaints against its contractors seriously.

He said MHP employed Nighthawk to enforce parking restrictions in the area in response to a request from residents to manage parking in the area by non-residents.

MHP have not received any other complaints from residents about the service, he added.

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