“This case was not about money, it was about unfair clamping and clamping businesses making money out of innocent people.”

Numerous attempts were made to speak to Midway Parks but no-one was available for comment.

On the same day that Mr Cole was clamped in April last year, the Birmingham Mail revealed that Midway Parks had wrongly towed away 18-year-old Emily Ritson’s car from a small car park in Digbeth.

She won her case in the county court after proving warning signs at the car park in Park Street were inadequate.

The company was told to cough up £523. But the firm said it would change ‘one word’ on its signs and carry on as normal.

Mr Cole said that, if the money was paid to him, he would donate it to Cancer Research in memory of his late brother Fitzroy.

A spokesman from Birmingham Trading Standards said Midway Parks “know the system better than anyone”.