A motorist has been slapped with a £120 fine for parking outside his own garage by a clamping firm he hired.

Dave Edwards, a 47-year-old project manager, and other residents of Dervia House, Palmeira Avenue, Hove, were so fed up with motorists blocking their garages they employed a company to issue fines to those that got in the way.

Security International Group, which has a PO Box number address in Southampton, was contracted on behalf of the residents by managing agents Parsons Son and Basley two years ago to police the problem with parking fines of £60.

In March this year the residents decided to cancel the contract and gave three month's notice to the company.

Mr Edwards received a letter from Security International Group on April 13 which said he had to pay a £120 fine as two weeks had passed since the original fine.

This was the first he knew about any infringement.

He explained: "I told them I didn't know anything about this and the woman at the other end of the phone said someone must have taken the notice off my windscreen. That wouldn't have happened. It's so quiet around here someone would have noticed it. There's only four cars out of eight garages.

"They have said they have been instructed to issue court proceedings against me in the county court if I do not pay £120 by May 4. I do not know who instructed them as we the residents are the people who set the rules and they have not contacted us or the managing agents."

Mr Edwards insists that regardless of the situation he was not obstructing any other resident and so should not have been issued with a fine in the first place.

He said: "They have sent a picture to me showing my car with a loosely attached piece of paper on my windscreen. It shows that I am not in anybody's way."

Despite hiring the parking firm on the residents' behalf, he said Parsons Son and Basley was "loath to get involved with the row".

He said: "They've told me: 'We support your cause but we can't get involved'."

Security International Group will no longer talk to Mr Edwards about the row and failed to get back to The Argus when contacted.

No one was available at Parsons Son and Basley to comment.

A spokeswoman for the Security Industry Authority, the body which regulates wheel clampers and the private security industry, said companies listed on its approved register are there voluntarily.

Security International Group