Home News Birmingham News
Clamper took my St Patrick banner
AN IRISH county's colours were missing from Birmingham’s St Patrick’s Day Parade – because of clampers. The banner for County Cork was in the boot of a Honda Accord towed away as clamping firms preyed on festival-goers last weekend.
Pensioner Frank Ryan had to borrow a smaller flag for the parade while the car was locked in a compound in Landor Street.
A friend drove Mr Ryan, aged 76, from his Tyseley home to Digbeth to attend mass at St Anne’s Church before the parade.
Regular car parks were full and worshippers had to look for alternative spaces.
Like fellow churchgoers Paddy and Betty Mitchell, whose story appeared in Tuesday’s Birmingham Mail, Mr Ryan returned from the service to find the car gone.
He was met by clampers who told him he would have to pay £375 cash to have the car back.
"It was like something from Chicago in the 1930s," said Mr Ryan.
"They were burly guys, the general demeanour of them was menacing, intimidating, rough, unshaven and completely unhelpful.
"This is the 21st century when you would expect people to be wearing a uniform and have an office where you can go and talk to someone."
Mr Ryan said that unless the clampers were stopped, festival organisers would need to employ marshals to protect unsuspecting drivers.
The clamping firm, National Parking Control, lists its business address as a post box service in Colmore Row, Birmingham.
No-one could be contacted for comment today.
Copyright and Trade Mark Notice © 2009 owned by or licensed to Trinity Mirror Midlands Limited. Birmingham Mail™ is a trade mark of Trinity Mirror Midlands Limited. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement before using this site.