OPPORTUNIST clampers at a petrol station have been given their marching orders by the company that hired them, thanks to the News Shopper.

The final straw came when a Hayes mum was clamped by Premier Security, based in Victoria, after she stopped to help a driver who had been in a car crash.

Michele Read, 38, who was forced to pay the £85 fine, explained: "It was quite a bad accident, so I felt I had to stop and help. My 17-year-old daughter, Charlotte, was waiting nearby so she witnessed it too.

"I pulled into the garage and was only gone one or two minutes. When I got back the clamp was on. It is disgraceful."

Last month this newspaperreported motorists were being stung for £85 by the firm hired to police the Jet garage, in Station Approach, Hayes. Station staff said they were fed up with the number of complaints and Park Garages, which runs Jet, has ended the contract.

Drivers say Premier staff lie in wait on the forecourt, even though they should wait 15 minutes and then approach the garage manager before putting a clamp on. The company operates from a PO box.

Mrs Read, of Malling Way, added: "It is an absolute scam and the two men who did it were very rude and intimidating. My son, Lenny, who is only five, was in the car and he was terrified."

A source at the Croydon-based company said: "Hiring Premier was the biggest mistake we've ever made. We've been trying to get rid of them for about three months."

Premier was told on November 30 its services were no longer needed and got 28 days' notice.

Company director Raj Tandon said: " We employed Premier with the best of intentions and we now need to find a sensible solution which will be better for our customers and doesn't give us a bad name."

Two police officers who attended the accident, PCs Steven Bark and Steven Kille, were so shocked by the firm's behaviour they called Park Garages' head office to complain.

The company has promised to refund Mrs Read if she writes in.

Premier Security declined to comment.

December 19, 2001 11:30