Clamping down on wayward motorists
THE NEW CLAMPERS – WHERE’S MY CAR GONE? ITV, Tuesday, 11.20pm
SECOND in a two-part documentary delving into the world of traffic police, recovery drivers and parking fraud investigators who tow away motors for a living.
Lambeth Council investigator Steve Davidson hits the streets looking for examples of parking fraud. When he discovers the disabled badge displayed inside a car doesn’t belong to the driver, Steve is keen to get the vehicle removed before the motorist returns.
His attention is then drawn to a Mercedes he’s been after for a while – its owner has been issued 45 parking tickets and ignored every one. Steve loiters nearby trying to avoid detection by the owner while waiting for the tow truck to arrive.
Tow truck driver Dave Blake is on his way to pull a stolen, burnt-out car from a muddy field. The only problem is that his car pound manager Mick Brown has already tried with his Land Rover, which also became stuck in the sludgy earth, and Dave’s truck faces a similar problem.
In Cambridgeshire, Sergeant Simon Goldsmith and PC Craig Wheeler stumble on a supermarket fender-bender, a lorry full of plastic cups which has rolled over, and a five-vehicle pile-up. And in Bedfordshire, a troop of volunteer special constables mount a clampdown on vehicles.