Insider reveals car clamp tricks used at City Pride

The Wharf featured two cases earlier this year where customers' whose vehicles were clamped were charged hundreds of pounds to have them released, even though they complied with parking regulations.

Knightwatch had its contract with the pub terminated in September because of the problems. Masrur was one of the the employees who regularly carried out clamping at the pub and he revealed some of the tricks he was told to use.

He said: "We were told to hide next to the estate agents across the road and then come out and clamp vehicles when they had parked.We would have to clamp up to five a day. If you multiply that by the £185 it cost to release a car it adds up to a lot of money.

"Then there were extra charges if people couldn't pay the release fee straight away."

Masrur admitted there were other practices used to maximise revenue, instigated on the orders of Knightwatch director Abdal Shah.

He said: "There was a warning sign at the entrance to the City Pride car park and Shah told my colleague to take it away so customers wouldn't see it. He said if they see it then it would mean no cars. No cars means no money and no money means no wages.

"Then we were told to try and get the customers to pay in cash, not with cards. We had to lie about not having a credit card machine, even though there was always one in our van.

"Sometimes we had to pretend we couldn't get a signal, which would never really happen. It meant a lot of people had to pay with cash."

Masrul, 19, got the job with Knightwatch through a friend whose father was a director of the company. He left in June and regrets ever having got involved, especially as the experience left him well out of pocket and cost him his university place.

He said: "When I got my first pay slip and it was just a handwritten note on the back of an envelope. I was supposed to be paid £481.32 but Knightwatch kept back £200, which I was told they would give to me after I had been there for three months. I never got that money.

"In April I did 185 hours even though it was supposed to be a part time job. I was given a cheque for £929.37 which bounced. I'd already had to spend money on bills so I was left very overdrawn. I'm still owed hundreds of pounds by them."

Masrur subsequently discovered Knightwatch failed to pay any of his National Insurance and PAYE contributions and he is now pursuing a claim for his missing money through an employment tribunal.

Happily he has been able to start a new course at the University of East London but he wants to warn Wharfers to beware of the sharp practices going on all over London when it comes to cars being clamped.

He said: "Knightwatch have moved from their old offices but are, shockingly, still trading under that name from offices in Hackney. They were getting me to clamp people's cars even though I didn't have a licence to do that and they were making a lot of money out of it.

"I know Knightwatch are being investigated by the police and trading standards, but people do need to watch out when they park their cars because clamping is a way to make a lot of money."

Tower Hamlets Council confirmed its trading standards department is investigating Knightwatch.

They issued this statement: "Tower Hamlets Council has received complaints regarding Knightwatch Parking Enforcement clamping cars in the borough without a licence.

"The council has been working with the police and the Security Industry Authority and is committed to pursuing any breaches of law, where they have occured."

The Wharf asked Mr Shah to comment but he declined.