Clamps for the memory... scourge of motorists is 25 years old

It's an anniversary few will want to celebrate - the 'birth' of the wheelclamp in Britain.

But 25 years ago today, Westminster became the first UK borough to use the device against illegally-parked vehicles.

Since then around 12 million vehicles have been clamped, across the UK, as the practice has caught on.

Up until two years ago around 225,000 vehicles were being clamped annually in London.

But now - following fresh guidance from the Department for Transport which called for clamping to be used only as a last resort - the rate at which motorists are immobilised is falling sharply.

Edmund King, AA President, said: "The good news is that clamping at the roadside by councils is declining fast following moves by individual councils including Westminster, and new Department for Transport guidance.

"The bad news is that clamping of motorists by cowboy outfits on private land is rising fast. They are still ripping motorists off left, right and centre."

The wheelclamp was initially known as the 'Denver Boot' after it was invented, in 1953, by a violinist in the US city of the same name.

He was trying to help friends in the local police force who said they felt powerless to act against motorists who parked selfishly or illegally.

Under guidance issued by the Department for Transport in August last year UK councils were urged to adopt a 15-minute "period of grace" for drivers after a meter runs out.

They were also told they "should not seek to make a surplus" through clamping parked cars. The guidance for councils in England and Wales put a priority on winning public support.