Motoring organisations have welcomed plans to outlaw wheel clamping on private land.

The government has announced it is to stop private landlords clamping or towing away vehicles parked on their land.

It follows a spate of complaints about rogue clamping firms charging up to £500 for vehicles to be released.

But the move, included in new legislation in November, has caused concern among landowners and property firms in Manchester.

They say removing the sanctions could lead to a parking free-for-all in the city centre during special events, concerts and sports matches.

But Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, says clamping is not the only solution.

"For too long, unscrupulous clampers have managed to extort money from essentially law-abiding motorists, punishing them for their so-called crimes," he said.

"At last that is going to stop and there will be many who will breathe a sigh of relief after years of outrageous behaviour.

"But getting rid of clamping is not the end of disputes about parking on private land.

"Some operators have seen the writing on the wall and are already turning to issuing penalty tickets rather than using clamps and the law needs to recognise this growing form of enforcement.

"What we need is a fair system that protects motorists and landowners. How hard can it be?"

Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone told the M.E.N. that landowners could prevent drivers from parking on their land by setting up barriers and pursuing civil actions against persistent offenders.

She said: "We have tried licensing the industry but this didn’t stop the complaints about companies who put up invisible signs and charged a small fortune for vehicles to be released.

"We have to ask whether it is a proportional response to parking in the wrong place.

"Of course landowners should have the right to protect their land, but this should be done through ticketing and civil enforcement."

Ms Featherstone said proposals by the previous government to set up an independent review body to handle clamping appeals would have cost at least £2m.

But Ian Magenis, a partner at Manchester property management firm Scanlans, which manages nearly 300 sites, warned that removing the clamping powers from landowners would cause huge problems in the city centre.

He said: "This is going to cause a real headache for our clients who have city centre properties.

"Nobody likes having to use parking enforcement companies or clamping or towing vehicles, but the sad reality is that there are a number of people who refuse to park responsibly.

"Sanctions such as this are necessary to protect the rights of property owners."

The Home Office said that under its proposals vehicles which were parked dangerously or caused an obstruction could still be moved by police.

The ban on clamping and towing will not apply to local authorities, although the majority of Greater Manchester councils do not use clamps.

Enforcement officers at Manchester council stopped using clamping in 2003, after it was judged to be ‘unreasonable’ and ‘emotive’.