From the Bristol Evening Post
STAND-OFF AS TOWING CREW AND BUILDERS CLASH
BY CHRIS ALLEN
16 December 2006
Police were called to intervene in a heated stand-off between rail track workers and wheel clampers trying to tow away 10 vehicles.The construction team used a fork-lift truck and lorry to block in the clampers' vehicles to prevent them from removing their cars and vans from a car park belonging to an empty building on the St Phillip's Central Trading Estate yesterday.
The deadlock came to an end after more than three hours when the workers agreed to stump up more than ú2,000 to get their cars released.
The workers had been leaving their vehicles in the car park of a vacant warehouse for more than two months while working to replace track on nearby rail sidings.
Warning signs went up in the car park yesterday and the clampers moved in, slapping on penalty charges of ú205 per vehicle and loading at least one van onto the back of a tow truck.
But the workers claim the signs did not go up until after they parked - an allegation the clamping firm denies.
Police were called to the scene shortly after 12.45pm amid fears that the situation could boil over and stepped in when the track workers threatened to cut off the clamps using their own tools.
Some of the officers were wearing stab vests. They stood on the sidelines and mediated between the two sides, who were easy to tell apart as the clampers were all wearing yellow reflective vests, while the construction workers were wearing orange vests.
The incident was eventually resolved just after 4pm, when the track workers negotiated a discount.
One worker caught up in the dispute was Aubrey Smith, 34.
He told the Evening Post: "It's an outrage that clamping firms can get away with this. It's daylight robbery.
"When we arrived at the car park there were no signs warning us that clampers were now operating in the area. If there had been we wouldn't have left our cars there. They claim the signs went up overnight. But I reckon they put them up after we parked."
Police said that clampers working for London-based New Generation Parking were operating within the law and that no criminal offences had been committed.
Ian Drury, a police spokesman, said: "We were called to the scene at about 12.45pm. We negotiated with all parties concerned to resolve the situation peacefully.
"No criminal offences were committed but we maintained a strong police presence as there was potential for disorder."
New Generation Parking spokesman Richard Preece said the firm had been called in by the landowner to stop parking on the site. It was not obliged to give any notice before it started operations there, he said.
Mr Preece said there had been fewer vehicles at the site yesterday than in previous days and claimed this showed that the signs had gone up in advance.