According to the AA, the Protection of Freedoms Bill, which includes a clause to outlaw clamping, should get its first reading this Thursday 10 February.

The Bill should ensure that it will become a criminal offence to clamp on private land which will incur sentences of up to £5,000 at a Magistrates Court or unlimited fines at the Crown Court.

Edmund king, AA president, welcomes this as a major step in 'transforming clampers from cowboys to outlawed criminals.'

Commenting on the legislation, Mr King said: 'This Bill is the first nail in the coffin of the cowboy clampers. These cowboys are soon to be outlawed criminals. We have always argued that motorists should not park where they like but believe that in the 21st century there are more humane ways to regulate parking. Partial licensing of clampers hasn't worked as it was used as a licence to print money so a ban is the only way out of this mess. 

'We would also like to see restrictions on the companies that issue bogus tickets on private land so that these cowboys are also driven out of town.'

However, he added some advice for drivers: 'One word of warning is that we are seeing evidence that some of the cowboys, drinking in the last chance saloon, are increasing their clamping activity before the ban is introduced. So watch where you park.'