Vexed issue of castlebar clamping raises its head again

A FRESH row has blown up over clamping in Mayo's county town.

A couple from Co. Laois who have spent a week in Castlebar every August since they were married in 1984 say they will never return following what they claim is the illegal clamping of their car outside the Royal Hotel, Castlebar, last November.

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, wrote to Councillor Frank Durcan to outline their ‘disgust’ at the fact they had to pay €125 to car park management firm APCOA to release their car from a clamp device on November 29.

The contents of the aggrieved couple’s letter were read out by Councillor Durcan yesterday (Monday) at a meeting of Castlebar Municipal District.

In their letter, the couple said they paid by laser to have their car declamped and had decided to return to Portlaoise immediately vowing that Castlebar ‘will not see any of our money ever again’.

In their letter the couple stated they believe they were clamped illegally ‘as the hotel did not have planning permission to charge us for parking’.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne told the meeting he had written to the director of services with responsibility for planning enforcement about the clamping issue last December but had received no reply.

The councillor said that on February 27, three months after the council was told by the company involved there would be no further clamping, notices appeared on parked cars in the Royal Quarter warning of further penalties, including immobilisation of vehicles.

Councillor Kilcoyne was supported in his call on the director of planning enforcement to attend their next meeting to discuss the issue.