A 'SUBSTANTIAL' amount of compensation has been awarded to a consultant whose car was wrongly clamped at Salisbury train station car park.

It has taken more than three months for South West Trains to apologise to Dr Lack, who has worked as an anaesthetist at Salisbury District Hospital for 25 years.

"This is a substantial sum that has made the clampers realise they were in the wrong and they are subject to the law like everyone else," he said.

While awaiting authorisation for the car to be released Dr Lack alleges the employee of Southampton-based Security International Parking Management was laughing and "seemed very amused".

According to solicitor James Welsh, who represented Dr Lack in his fight for compensation, the doctor would have been within his rights to remove the wheel-clamp himself.

"It is only criminal damage if you damage someone else's property without lawful excuse," said Mr Welsh. "Dr Lack had followed a local custom and left a valid ticket at the station office due to lack of time, so he had lawful excuse to remove the clamp that was wrongfully detaining his property."

Dr Lack now wants to see a code of conduct to regulate clamping firms. A spokeswoman for South West Trains said: "We've apologised for this and would like to reassure passengers that lessons have been learnt from this incident."

Dr Lack has pledged the compensation money to a Salisbury charity.