Clampers banned from private land

Wheel clampers are to be banned from operating on private land, the Government is set to announce.

More than 2,000 existing clamping licences will be revoked under the plans for England and Wales, with towing away also outlawed, as ministers act to end the "scourge" of so-called cowboy clampers.

Motoring organisations are hailing the "momentous" move, which will be introduced in the Government's Freedom Bill in November and could be in place by early next year.

The ban comes two decades after the practice was outlawed in Scotland, with only unlicensed vehicles able to be clamped in Northern Ireland.

Once in force, anyone who clamps a vehicle or tows it away on private land will face big fines or even jail.

Only police or councils will be allowed to immobilise or remove a car in exceptional circumstances, such as a car blocking a road.