SIR – There have been celebrations that anti-clamping legislation was passed on October 1.

On closer examination, it appears that rather than simply making clamping illegal, it has made it unnecessary.

Car park operators will gain new powers to retrieve penalties directly from owners, instead of having to clamp the vehicle and obtain cash.

To do this it must be assumed that they will have access to some form of database of registration numbers, owners and addresses, which must be of concern from a privacy point of view.

The legislation also paves the way for stores or other organisations to impose automatic penalties for “overstaying” a free parking limit. Drivers may not find out about their “offence” until weeks later when the bill arrives.

In difficult financial times, will these organisations be able to resist the temptation of easy money? Especially when the fines can be so high.

Drivers should remain vigilant and be aware of any signs and restrictions. Penalties can be given for “overhanging” a marked bay, a wheel touching the line, a ticket upside-down or allowing it to fall off and, of course, overstaying.

While being hailed as overdue common sense legislation to protect drivers, it appears to make it easier for operators to impose penalties and does nothing to prevent unscrupulous practices. The AA website has advice on parking and the new legislation.

A R Wood, Victoria Avenue, Haworth