Controversial clamping in Castlebar ‘at and end’

Controversial clamping in Castlebar ‘at an end’


Michael Duffy

The practice of clamping cars in the Royal Quarter area of Castlebar is ‘at an end’, according to documentation received from the Director of Services in Castlebar, Paddy Mahon.
Mr Mahon told a meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District last week that he had received notification from the TF Royal Theatre that clamping was not longer taking place at its premises.
The decision follows high levels of dissatisfaction among drivers in the Castlebar area, highlighted first in a Mayo News front page story on October 14 of last year. The seriousness of the situation was subsequently echoed on social media.
Councillors had continually raised the matter at subsequent meetings and criticised the ‘heavy handed’ approach of some clamping operators in Castlebar.
The issue of whether planning permission was needed to carry out the clamping was also much debated.
It would now seem that the public outcry and adverse publicity has led to the decision to stop the clamping altogether.

‘Pure extortion’
On foot of the decision to stop the clamping, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne has called for refunds for  those who were clamped, saying it is clear the clamping should not have been allowed in the first place.
“People were charged €120 for basically having their cars kidnapped, and to me that is just pure extortion. These people who handed over their hard-earned cash should, as far as I am concerned, have that money refunded.”
The Castlebar Royal Quarter contains a number of premises, including the TF Royal Theatre and popular retail outlets including Boots and Shaws.