Better late than never, Neil

Mar 20 2008 By The Stirrer

THANKS to the Birmingham Mail, I've discovered this week that Councillor Neil Eustace, the city's public protection watchdog, has joined a long-running Stirrer campaign and declared "war on the clampers".

About time, too.

It makes me wonder what Eustace was doing in January when Tori Cannell from Moseley was ordered to hand over £75 on top of the basic £150 release fee because the rogues who immobilised her car demanded a "call out" fee for their tow truck.

And where was he in December when student Nicola Watts Barr was blocked in and held prisoner by cowboy clampers at Five Ways until she handed over £150?

Nicola's case was even raised in the House of Commons earlier this year after it was featured in this column. Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood vowed to take up the anti-clamping cause in Parliament.

At the time, there wasn't a squeak from Coun Eustace, but I'm delighted to see that the watchdog has finally started to bark.

The question now is whether his "war" amounts to anything more than fine words or whether it will be followed by action. Has he got a Howitzer or a pea-shooter? Can he, in short, shrug off the "Useless Eustace" jibes?

Anyone who rids Birmingham of these licensed robdogs will earn the gratitude of its citizens forever.