I am the operations director for Hadrian Traffic Management which manages Whitby station’s car park on behalf of Northern Rail.

We were brought in because of the vast number of people abusing the car park.

The car park is privately owned and the costs of maintenance and repairs are met from private and not public funds.

A number of articles published over the past year have referred to the persons ‘clamped’ as our victims.

They are not the victims, the landowner is.

A number of articles published state we are detrimental to the town’s tourist industry.

I would urge you to look closely at what the good people of Whitby are saying in on The Forum on your website – ‘roll on winter’ and tourists are ‘shaven headed brigands with chubby offspring’ to mention just a few comments.

A further search through the Gazette’s website shows many instances of cars being vandalised, damaged and stolen all over Whitby, with the exception of the train station car park.

Do you think it is perhaps because we monitor it?

Over the past year our officers have administered first aid to three people, prevented a drug-fuelled drunk from driving, not to mention the 28 potential drunk drivers from driving their cars away after a night out in the town.

I wonder if we have actually saved lives in the town.

We give directions, offer advice, jump start stranded motorists and inflate flat tyres and while there we protect the cars of genuine, honest paying users of the station’s car park.

This is all way outside our responsibilities.

Everybody complains about the fee we charge – do we set it?

No.

As members of the British Parking Association (BPA), we follow their code of practice, they set the rate which currently £125 inclusive of VAT.

The sheer number of cars clamped bears testimony to the attitude of some motorists, they want to park for free, when they want, how they want and for however long they want.

Our statistics show the majority of cars clamped are for expired tickets and not just by 10 minutes but by hours, so they have read the signs, bought a ticket and then just failed to return.

We do not target anyone, they are all clamped for a reason, the same as a person is fined for using a train without a ticket or watching TV without a licence.

Without our presence at the station I dread to think what would happen.

Bikers parked everywhere, disabled bays being abused, overnight campers, drunk drivers and for those who genuinely use the car park, I’m afraid there won’t be space or if there is don’t expect your car to be okay when you return.

We do a very difficult task at Whitby.