Angry scenes as clampers target 30 drivers in a day near city store

Police were called as furious motorists argued with clampers brought in by a vet’s surgery to keep its car park clear.

Bosses at the Tesco Express next door even put up a sign warning customers they would have to pay fees starting at £150 and rising to more than £400.

People claimed the clampers were pouncing on vehicles within seconds, in one case even before the driver had got out.

Last night the company that brought in the clampers promised an investigation.

Dozens of shoppers at the Tesco Express in Spring Road, Southampton, were shocked to find their vehicles had been clamped while they nipped into the store to pick up their groceries.

Customers said they had used the car park for months before Vets4Pets opened next door in September, presuming it belonged to Tesco.

Five signs In fact the only parking for the mini supermarket is the forecourt between the shop and footpath. The road outside has double yellow lines apart from a loading bay for Tesco lorries.

But from yesterday Vets4Pets employed the services of Whites Car Park Solutions Ltd to patrol the car park, which has about ten spaces, ensuring it remains for surgery customers only.

Five white A3 sized signs saying it is private car park were placed on the low wall surrounding the car park and on posts.

They warned of release fees of £150 for private vehicles, £180 for commercial vehicles and £250 extra charges if a tow truck is called with storage at £35 a day and a five per cent charge for card payments.

Vets4Pets did not warn Tesco of the new restrictions in place.

Shaun Sennett, 20, from Midanbury, team leader at the Tesco store, estimated the clampers had targeted up to 30 cars yesterday.

He said: “One woman opened her door to ask if she could park there. The clampers didn’t say a word and just clamped her car while she sat in it. They’ve done it to so many people today, they must have made at least £3,000.”

Jack Parr, a 17-year-old student at Itchen College, was also a victim. He said: “I nipped into the shop to buy some potatoes and by the time I came out my moped had been clamped. I couldn’t have been in there more than a couple of minutes.”

Police were called around 4.30pm when angry residents confronted clampers after they raced to clamp a vehicle before its owner returned.

John Miller, a 27-year-old care worker from Merry Oak, pulled into one of the spaces in the Vets4Pets car park so he could draw money out of the Tesco cash machine. Noticing a sign warning him not to park on the property, he returned to his car to move it. “I noticed the sign saying I would get clamped,” he told the Daily Echo. “As I turned round the clamper saw I was returning to my car and ran towards it. I tried to beat him back but by the time I got there it was already in place.”

“I tried to argue it with him but he wasn’t having any of it. It’s so frustrating.”

Amy Clarke, of Merry Oak said: “I saw the whole thing happen. As the gentleman got out of his car the clampers raced over to get a clamp on it before he returned. It’s disgraceful.”

Vets4Pets said it was forced to bring in the clampers after surgery customers were left parking on double yellow lines because the car park was full.

Mike Hopkins, director of Vets4Pets, said: “The spaces have always been marked for clients of Vets4Pets. Our aim is to meet the needs of our clients and when we found they were having to park on the road or on yellow lines, we had to do something to free the space.”

“We never wish to upset locals and will look into the matter.”

Whites Car Park Solutions Ltd refused to comment.