The UK Government has just banned wheel clamping of cars parked on private property, thus removing the right to respond when someone else parks on your land without permission.

As with the termination of speed cameras and speeding, no proposal has been made for any alternative, and no professional evidence or analysis has been offered in support.

If you return home one day to find someone else parked in your driveway, you already had a problem.  It can take days, even weeks, to force them off.  Imagine the problems encountered by those who own access to their business property.  They now have no way to deter abuse, and could be forced to close while waiting for a court order.

Look out of your window and you’ll see cars parking on every accessible area big enough, regardless of who owns it or whether it is public highway.  A grass verge, or village green (like the one outside my window), may turn into a muddy eyesore.

Perhaps it is time to go the other way, and call into question whether someone has the right to claim a chunk of the public highway as their own, on which to keep their car.  After all, this imposes a cost upon the rest of us.  It reduces lane width, slows traffic (promoting congestion), and can create a hazard for pedestrians and cyclists.  It also denies someone else the right to park there temporarily, while dropping off or visiting.

Termination of the right to clamp amounts to nothing less than conferring the right to park where the hell you like.  It grants a licence to antisocial behaviour.

As a result, it amounts to antisocial behaviour itself.