A pub landlord in Ashford, south-west London, has made himself the most unpopular man in town by clamping every car parking in an old car park he owns next-door.

Drivers using the Royal Hart pub's adjoining car park at the old Kwiksave have been parking there for years.

They had no idea they were acting illegally.

Two weeks ago, pub landlord Jason Wicks and other managers at the Royal Hart in Church Road hired All Counties Parking Control to clamp cars parked at what used to be the supermarket car park.

The pub owns the car park, but hundreds of people have become used to using the conveniently situated spaces to park while shopping.

Like the dozens of other victims in the two-week long clamping frenzy, Daniel Giltinane, a Heathrow Airport worker, had to pay £300 to the licensed clamping company after he parked to go Woolworths for 10 minutes.

He said: "I came back and my car was clamped.

"I had to pay £300 in cash for them to take it off.

"The warning signs are so small that nobody can see them when they park.

"I tried to explain to them that I could not afford it and that I had no idea it was illegal.

"Unfortunately, they weren't having any of it.

"If they don't want people to use it then they should close it off.

"There was a woman there after me who parked so she could collect the ashes of a loved one from the crematorium.

"They made her fork more than £300 to take the clamp off."

Royal Hart duty manager Adam Rogerson said: "As soon as the Kwiksave closed down the car park was filled to the brim every day at 10am and there was no one in the pub.

"We hired the private company to clamp vehicles as a shock tactic."

The landlord, Mr Wicks, said he would call off the 14-day clampdown on vehicles at the end of the week.

"It has done its job. We feel we can get rid of the clamping and try a more subtle approach," he said.

In the future, tickets will be issued for cars parked inside the car park.

North Surrey police said in light of the strong concerns from the community, officers had stepped up visibility around the car park.