‘Don’t pay – and it’ll really be dismay’

Tourists from around the world flock to the pretty village each year – and many a visitor has returned to the Changegate car park only to find that their vehicle has been clamped. Car clamping at Changegate has led to anger from traders and Haworth Parish Council. Chairman John Huxley said it “has undoubtedly been a major blight on the village because of the number of tourists that have suffered”.

Ted Evans, who owns the car park, insists he’s not to blame for loss of trade, and claims this month has been the busiest August ever in terms of visitor numbers at the village.

This week, he told the Telegraph & Argus the Government’s proposed outright ban on wheel clamping on private land, set to be in place early next year, would “block the courts up” with increased paperwork and bureaucracy.

Car clamping has long divided opinion in Haworth. Mr Evans was labelled ‘Dick Turpin’ by a national newspaper which held a public vote for the clamper with the worst reputation.

In 2008, Mr Evans came under fire from former House of Commons speaker Baroness Betty Boothroyd, who fell victim to his clampers when she and a friend visited Haworth.

Her friend’s vehicle was at the Changegate car park and, although the ticket had time remaining, it had fallen face down. The women returned to find the car clamped and had to pay a £75 fine.

Baroness Boothroyd described it as “outrageous”.

“I have been driving for more than 50 years and never had such an experience. People are up in arms about what is happening,” she said.

With signs stating that all tickets must be displayed face up, Mr Evans said, simply: “It’s pay-and-display and they didn’t display.”

Charity fundraiser Sally Owthwaite once accused clampers of lying in wait after three people had their cars clamped when they attended a Manorlands Hospice meeting in the village.

“Rather than advising people they still needed a ticket, despite it being so late in the evening and the car parks being deserted, they were cynically waiting for people to leave the car park to clamp their vehicles.

“Most of the people attending our meeting were elderly or retired, and were extremely distressed to find their cars clamped.”

Mr Evans said at the time: “All the charity had to do was contact us before the meeting and we would have waived any charges.”

Last year, he and his car park were the focus of a TV documentary. In June this year, someone calling themselves ‘Robin Hood’ used boltcroppers to break a chain and squirted foam inside the Changegate car park’s ticket dispensing machine to disable it.

Under the proposed clamping ban, private firms would be able to impose penalties on drivers. But Mr Evans, who employs Car Stoppers of Halifax, claims people often ignore fixed penalties on private car parks so have to be taken to court.

“It will cost the individual a lot more time and money, and will cause the courts a lot more work,” he said. There can be few things more infuriating than having your car clamped, especially if a legitimate car park ticket has simply fallen out of view, but Mr Evans maintains that motorists should ensure their ticket is clearly visible.

“One of the biggest fiddles is a person will buy a ticket for one hour and place it upside down so you can’t see the expiry time, in the hope that the operator will think it’s an all-day ticket.

“Every pay-and-display car park punishes that, it’s a regular fiddle,” he said. “The sad part is that we don’t know whether it’s a genuine situation or not.”

While motorists hail the Government’s proposed clamping ban a victory, they may be wise to take on board the comments of one Haworth resident.

“If you were to go into a shop on Main Street, or anywhere else, you’d be expected to pay for the item you wished to purchase,” she says. “Surely it’s not difficult to remember the following: park in one space, not two, pay for your ticket, make sure it’s visible – and don’t come back late.”