A motorist faced a charge of £1,500 from clampers after he hurt his leg in a martial arts tournament and was unable to drive.

James Smith, 19, was unable to move his silver Vauxhall Corsa and it was removed by White Car Parking Solutions.

The Hedge End bricklayer could not pay the £435 the firm demanded and tried to negotiate a payment scheme or reduced fine.

The clamping firm said until he paid the amount in full they would keep his car and charge him an extra £35 storage a day for 28 days when his vehicle – worth about £700 – would be destroyed and he would be taken to court.

In the end the teenager was forced to borrow the money from his mum to get his car released.

Mr Smith had left his vehicle in a car park owned by Face Lift Access, in Southampton city centre. Martial arts club Silverback Submissions is allowed to use the facility but only at certain times.

When the landlord realised the car belonged to a member of the group he called the clampers and asked them to be lenient.

But boss Jason White refused, fining the teenager £150 and charging him £250 for a tow truck, £35 for storage and £20 for using a debit card. He also claims he has the power to impose a further £50 fine if anyone is rude to him.

Mr Smith said: “I cannot believe they get away with charging these fines – it’s obscene. We tried to reason with the man and so did the landlord but he just wasn’t interested, he was the least helpful person I have ever met.

“I need my car for work so I agreed to pay but if it hadn’t been for my mum I don’t know what I would have done.”

The teenager, who is off work with his severely bruised leg, said he will be appealing but doesn’t hold out much hope.

Mr White said: “My fines are legal and reasonable and yes I think it is fair. If you have a problem you need to speak to the person who owns the land.

“This man was rude to me, did he tell you that? These fines fall within the guidelines clamping companies follow and are the same as many other companies charge.”

Under legislation from the Coalition Government, clamping on private land will soon be banned.