Woman stages clamped car sit-in

Ms Parsons locked herself in the car to prevent it being towed away

A woman who had her car clamped staged a three-hour sit-in in the vehicle to stop it being towed away.

Samantha Parsons, of Evesham, Worcestershire, had her car clamped outside her flat by Midlands Parking Contracts.

To avoid having the car towed away, she locked herself inside before clampers were able to load it onto their truck.

Both Ms Parsons and the clamping firm later agreed she should pay £125 to have the clamp removed.

She said she was told she would have to pay £325 if it had been towed away and claimed the firm's staff had initially demanded she pay the full amount even though the car had not been moved.

'Done for kidnap'

She said: "It was my mum's idea, who was with me.

"She saw a sign saying that £325 would've had to be paid if it was towed away, but it was still there, so I decided to get in and stay there.

"They probably would've been done for kidnap if they'd tried to take it with me inside."

One of Ms Parsons' cars was in her garage and she said she had registered her other car, which she had parked in a visitors' space at the flats.

However, the company said she had not properly recorded the details of her second car.

She has now set up a group on the Facebook website calling for the company's policy to change.

The clamping firm spokesman said Ms Parsons would have been given the chance to pay the £125 fee before the truck had been called.

She said it would have been because a truck had already been called to tow away her vehicle.

He said the higher fee was waived once it became clear Ms Parsons was a resident.