Charles Walker MP

PARKING enforcers were branded “seemingly criminal” by Goffs Oak and Northaw’s MP, in a strongly worded House of Commons attack.

Angry Charles Walker used Parliamentary privilege, which gives him legal immunity over statements made in the Commons, to denounce North Finchley-based firm City Watch and the company’s director Scott Venning.

Broxbourne MP Mr Walker asked: “May we have an urgent debate on the conduct of a Mr Scott Venning and his company City Watch parking, a seemingly criminal organisation with shaven-headed enforcers who lift people’s cars and then extort money to return them?”

In reply Leader of the House, Sir George Young, said: “My honourable friend uses robust language. I know, because he has raised the subject before. It is a matter of deep concern that he knows that the Protection of Freedoms Bill is currently in another place, and that when the Bill hits the statute book, hopefully in May, it will be an offence to clamp on private land and incidents of the sort that my honourable friend has mentioned will simply be outlawed.

“In the meantime, I can only suggest that he uses his eloquence to try to get redress for his constituent from the offending company.”

And Commons Speaker John Bercow joked: “I am sure that the honourable member for Broxbourne has not got anything against people with shaven heads, or who happen to have less hair than other people have, but we will leave it there.”

A worker at City Watch said they did not comment over the phone because “words can be manipulated” and the Potters Bar Edition did not receive a response to our email request for a comment.