Car clamping fury

John Tarpy, of Occupation Lane, Keighley, parked his car in the car park just off Bradford Road prior to watching last weekend's game against the Doncaster Dragons. When he returned to his car he, and many other drivers including fans of the visiting side, had had their cars clamped.

Mr Tarpy says he is angry because the rules have been changed so suddenly.

"For two year I have parked there and paid an attendant £1 for the privilege. This week there was no attendant and so I parked in the usual place. I came back to find my car clamped and I was charged £90 to have it removed," says Mr Tarpy.

Mr Tarpy, unhappy at having to pay the fine, told the clampers there had been no attendant on the gate and so he had assumed it was free to park.

"It was pointed out that warning notices had been posted three days earlier but when you're entering a car park on match days your attention should be on the traffic and the stream of supporters and not scanning the walls for small notices," says Mr Tarpy.

If the fee was not paid the clampers threatened to charge a further £90 towing fee and a holding charge of £50 per day.

Mr Tarpy says: "Many people in the car did not have the money and a representative of the clamping company was offering to drive them home or to a cash point."

Paul Duxbury, director of Phoenix International, says the area had long been loaned to the Cougars, who supplied an attendant to collect money.

"Back in April we had a meeting and the Cougars confirmed they would no longer need the car park and wouldn't use it. Announcements were put in the programme and over the tannoys to stop fans parking there but nothing happened.

"My tenants still had nowhere for their customers to park at the weekends, and I was left with no alternative but to get someone in to control it," says Mr Duxbury.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.