The outspoken former Speaker of the House of Commons was today set to deliver a stinging attack in the House of Lords against notorious car clampers who put the Denver boot into the life peer’s visit to Haworth.

Baroness Betty Boothroyd – famous for taking no nonsense when she was the first woman Speaker – took a trip to Bronte country and she fell victim to clampers.

The firm’s owners, who have been vilified in the past for over-zealousness, did not realise they had taken a celebrity scalp on their Changegate car park.

Friends of Baroness Boothroyd said she was now planning to raise the matter of clamping in the House of Lords, possibly today.

And Bradford’s Labour Group leader, Councillor Ian Greenwood, today said the practice of unscrupulous car clamping was “legalised extortion” which damaged the image of the Bradford district.

Baroness Boothroyd, 78, took the trip with her close friend Jean Megahy on Saturday.

The Dewsbury-born politician was visiting Mrs Megahy following the funeral of her husband, Tom, a retired MEP and the first leader of Kirklees Council.

The women parked at the Changegate car park and left a ticket in Mrs Megahy’s vehicle, but returned to find the car clamped by a man employed by the Carstoppers firm which is contracted to operate there.

Although the ticket had time remaining on it, it had fallen face down on the dashboard, and because the clamper was unable to see the information, the women had to pay a £75 fine. Signs state that all tickets must be displayed face up. Carstoppers, winner of the RAC Dick Turpin Award for the nation’s worst clamper in 2003, has been criticised for its strict policy before.

When Mrs Megahy had pulled up at the car park it was pouring with rain. She paid to park for an hour and returned about ten minutes early. She said: “I must admit, in an effort to get somewhere dry I didn’t read the signs properly but the ticket was due to run out at 4.52pm and he released the clamp at 4.45pm after much ado. He was very abrupt. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the clamp, we begged him to take it off.”

Mrs Megahy said she was making a written appeal against the fine to car park owner Ted Evans.

Coun Greenwood said he would be writing to the Council to urge that cases like Baroness Boothroyd’s should not be tolerated. He said: “People should be treated always with courtesy and I think the Council and its partners should do something to stop the unreasonable behaviour of the people running these car parks.

“Both the ladies were visitors to the district, the sort of people we wish to see in the district.”

Car park owner Mr Evans said: “The ticket expiry time was not on show. She had a ticket, I accept that. The situation is that the man who looks after the car park doesn’t know what time they are due to leave. It’s pay and display and they didn’t display.”

The man who clamped the car did not know who Betty Boothroyd was, said Mr Evans. He said: “He didn’t know her and it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.”