A DISABLED woman wearing a neck brace and with her arms in plaster could not believe it when wheel clampers refused to free her car - and then knocked £25 off the unclamping bill as a "compassionate gesture".

The clamping war has taken a new twist with the latest revelations from 51-year-old Joy Igo, whose specially adapted disabled car was targeted outside a Totton superstore.

It comes a day after the Daily Echo told how a charity minibus was clamped, and also follows the assertion by Clive Deacon, managing director of Security International Group: "We do not clamp disabled people."

Joy had been out of hospital five days when her husband Bill, also 51, decided to take her to the dentist.

They stopped at the Commercial Road retail park and both popped into separate shops, but when they came back the chunky yellow immobiliser was fastened to the car wheel.

Bill, of Elm Crescent, Hythe, said: "A few weeks ago a priest was ready to read the last rites to my wife.

"She broke her neck, two ribs, her ankle and her arms after falling down the stairs. She's registered disabled anyway and very weak.

"I pointed out Joy's condition to the clampers, which was obvious. I pointed out that the vehicle was a special mobility one and that it said so on the tax disc."

Mr Igo's pleas failed to move the clampers to free the car - but they did reduce the £95 fine to £70 in what they described as a "compassionate gesture".

The Igos, however, were unimpressed.

"OK, I was parked in the wrong place but there's nobody more disabled than my wife at the moment," said Bill.

"They said they would not clamp disabled people but in this case they did - and yet they claim to be compassionate. I don't think they should be allowed to get away with it."

Security International boss Mr Deacon said he was just following instructions from his client.

"We try to avoid clamping disabled people but if the client requires the clamping to be done, we must.

"Mr Igo wasn't parked in one of the three disabled bays.

"We don't have to reduce the cost at all. We just do it sometimes out of goodwill. Everybody perceives wheelclampers as stinking, rotten people but we do give consideration.

"We set the fee, so we decide the reduction.But if we do it for somebody, we have to do it for someone else.

"We try to avoid clamping doctors, carers, meals on wheels and disabled people. Because of the size of the company, we can do that.

"Most wheelclamping companies in England wouldn't have that approach."