Who needs a licence?
Private Security Industry Act 2001
Immobilising a vehicle on private land against a release fee will need to be licensed.
What is a licensable activity?
Immobilising a vehicle with an immobilisation device on private land against a release fee will be a licensable activity. The Home Office is looking at extending licensing to immobilisation of a vehicle in other ways than with an attachment and to include towing away.
Examples of a licensable activity
- Attaching a wheelclamp to immobilise a vehicle.
- Attaching any other apparatus, instrument or gadget designed to immobilise a vehicle.
- Towing away a vehicle with any other apparatus.
Who will need a licence?
- The directors, managers, supervisors and operatives in undertakings which provide wheelclamping or towing away
services – all will need individual licences. Click here for further details - The employer and his employees (including directors or partners) engaged in-house or under contract wheelclamping or towing away services (for example, the staff of a supermarket chain who clamp or tow away the cars of shoppers who overstay their welcome in the chain’s car parks) – all will need individual licences.
- Those permitting wheelclamping or towing from their land. This would include for example, private land owners who do not get in a licensed contractor but do their own clamping or towing and charge a release fee.
- Volunteers, for example, a person helping a wheelclamper attach a wheelclamp on a car will need a licence.
Who will not need a licence?
- People wheelclamping their vehicles to protect them, such as a caravan, which is parked in an owners drive, or, in the case of a garage owner, the cars which they have for sale on their forecourt.
- Person(s) wheelclamping or towing away another’s property with the owners consent, e.g. Breakdown Services.
- Wheelclamping or towing away of vehicles carried on public roads and highways within the scope of the Road Traffic Act 1988 is exempted from requiring a licence.