A council has given itself the power to clamp and tow away vehicles.

Drivers in Lewes are furious they were not consulted about the plans, buried in four lines of an East Sussex County Council agenda.

Cars in Lewes can be clamped or towed away by NCP workers once the removal is authorised by a council official.

Lewes MP Norman Baker said the council was "tightening the noose on the motorist" after a parking scheme was introduced in 2003 despite huge protests.

Since that time about 200 parking meters have been blown up or vandalised, leaving the council with a £300,000 repair bill.

Obstacles A county council spokesman said there would be "no wholesale clamping or towing away".

The council report reads: "When the council took decriminalised powers, the power to clamp or remove vehicles was to be held in reserve.

"Such powers would only be used selectively but the absence of such power is an obstacle to effective enforcement.

"I recommend that this power should now be incorporated into traffic orders."

The recommendation was agreed by Councillor Matthew Lock, cabinet member for transport and the environment.

It is believed clamping and towing could begin within weeks.

Mr Baker said: "The council's hated parking scheme goes from bad to worse. As if motorists don't have enough obstacles to overcome to avoid a ticket, now they want to clamp and tow away cars.

"It is disgraceful for this radical proposal to have been sneaked through in just four lines of an obscure agenda item and without any consultation.

"The council should make the scheme more flexible, not tighten the noose on the motorist."

Lewes Chamber of Commerce has been campaigning for a thorough review of the scheme, which costs £1.5 million a year to run.

Ros St Pierre, county councillor for Lewes, said: "This is another blow to businesses in the town.

"More people are having to come to Lewes by car as the council cuts the bus services.

"Now they face not only paying heavily to park, but the risk they will be clamped or towed away."

The county council spokesman said: "When we established the parking scheme, we said we would wait to see whether we needed to do this before taking the power to do so.

"We have found that being unable to clamp or remove vehicles can be a problem.

"A small minority of motorists thumb their noses at the scheme with no concern for the inconvenience or danger that they cause.

"Often using untaxed and uninsured vehicles, they collect dozens of tickets which they never pay and they cannot be traced.

"The only effective way to protect the public is to clamp or remove the vehicles."

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