Bully boy clampers are bulldozing their way around Sussex. Many, particularly the cowboy minority, are only too happy to immobilise any vehicle that so much as twitches.

But campaigners across the county are beginning to fight back and here, in a stinging attack, they explain why the clampers must clear off. Miles Godfrey reports.

Every year, thousands of people return to their vehicles to find a dreaded yellow clamp on the wheels.

In a growing number of cases, the clamps have been put there by firms with incredibly poor track records.

Some are fitted with no legal authority, some on cars which are not illegally parked.

It's no wonder an increasing number of people are calling for an end to cowboy clampers.

Among the firms in the dock are Security Core of Brighton Ltd, which has been the subject of a catalogue of complaints in recent months.

The firm, employed by Brighton and Hove City Council to enforce parking rules, was recently branded a "disgrace" after failing to honour a court order to pay back an unfair fine.

This and cases like it have led to heavy criticism of the system.

A spokesman for Unison, Britain's biggest trade union, said: "There needs to be a complete overhaul of the wheel-clamping laws, the companies which run the clamps and the staff who work for them.

"It is unfair that many innocent people in Sussex are effectively being ripped off by these cowboy firms."

Steve Percy, from the People's Parking Protest organisation, said: "Something must be done to organise the system because it is not working in its current form and innocent people are suffering."

Brighton resident Tony Greenstein, who won a county court ruling against Security Core, after which it refused to pay back the fine, agreed.

Vulnerable His most recent argument with the firm came after his wife Fiona's Rover was clamped in Jubilee Street, Brighton.

Mrs Greenstein displayed the Blue Badge she has because her 17-year-old son Daniel is autistic.

The badge had slipped off the dashboard and her vehicle was clamped.

Security Core refused to return the £125 charge but a district judge at Brighton County Court ordered it to pay a full refund plus £10 costs and £5 interest.

Mr Greenstein believes car clamping is plain and simple extortion.

He said: "In the case of my wife and others parking in Jubilee Street, housing Brighton's new public library, they didn't realise that it was a private road.

"And why should they since there was one sign, above eye level, at an angle away from the approach road?

"You don't expect roads in the centre of town to be private.

"The clamping industry is wholly parasitical on the fruits of others' labour. It produces nothing and serves nobody.

"By its very nature it lends itself to companies like Security Core of Brighton, which hides behind a mailbox while its operatives go about their business of immobilising the cars of the vulnerable.

"Nor is Security Core the worst in the field. We've all heard of clamping companies that have tried to clamp ambulances and cars in a traffic jam.

"There is nothing to stop these individuals setting up shop one day, putting up bogus signs the next day and running off with the proceeds, which happened to a friend of mine in Birmingham.

"It is time the police took a more pro-active interest in the activities of companies like Security Core, who are wholly unaccountable to anyone and refuse to accept any restrictions placed on their activities.

Vigilantes "They serve no useful social purpose and the sooner they are put out of business the better for all of us."

In 2006, the firm targeted Richard Poulton, 75, and his friend Val Jackson, 66, during a day out to Brighton Marina.

They had parked in a disabled bay on the ground floor of the free car park because Mrs Jackson, a widow from Portslade, has Parkinson's disease.

They returned two hours later to discover they had been clamped because her disabled badge was the wrong way round. The fine was reduced to £25 but Brighton Marina Company intervened and issued a refund.

Unbelievably, NHS staff are also now being clamped at their own hospitals by another private firm.

The Argus revealed in 2006 how staff at Brighton's Royal Alexandra and Royal Sussex County hospitals were forced to dash out of surgery and other appointments to renew pay and display tickets to avoid being clamped.

The NHS trust which runs the hospitals employed the clamping firm.

The clamping has led to vigilantes, including a mysterious masked man in Brighton, who follow firms round and remove wheel clamps from cars.

The calls for new legislation regulating wheel clamping has led to movement from the Government.

It recently tabled proposals which all councils would have to adopt, recognising a new code of practice regulating clamping companies.

The intention is to rid the country of cowboy clampers and regulate legitimate ones more tightly.

Staff at Security Core of Brighton Ltd were unavailable for comment.

Have you been a victim of unscrupulous clampers? Leave your comments below.