An enjoyable lunchtime turned into a nightmare for diners at a Richmond pub after they discovered their cars had been wrongly clamped.

Visitors to the Lass O’Richmond Hill, were left fuming after clampers turned up to the pub’s car park last Friday lunchtime and clamped 10 cars, claiming they should have been displaying a permit. They demanded £300 for each car to be released - totalling £3,000 in all.

The police were called after it was discovered the clamping company’s contract was with the former pub landlords, who had left months earlier, and not with Chef and Brewer Pub Co, which currently manages the pub.

A stand-off followed, with the clampers refusing to budge until they got the all-clear from their boss and police threatening to arrest them for trespassing and criminal damage Car owner Ann Rae had been enjoying lunch with her daughter when her car was clamped.

She said: “A man came into the pub and said ‘They’re clamping everybody’.

“The police told them to unclamp them or they would arrest them.

”It did slightly ruin lunch.”

Despite the clampers initially demanding the pub paid up the money in cash on behalf of the car owners, following a number of calls between the pub and the parking company, Greater London Parking Management, the matter was sorted and the cars released without charge.

The car owners were offered free drinks from the pub during the two hours it took to sort out the confusion.

Mum Jo Broyden said: “There were two clamping trucks and police cars. Only in England would everybody be so polite about it.”

The pub’s area manager Colin McCartly said: “They turned up and upset all our guests “We had to show proof that we hadn’t taken out a contract with the company.”

“We’ve offered everybody a complimentary bottle of wine and will be sending them vouchers for the pub.”

Greater London Parking Management declined to comment.

• What do you think? Let us know by email (jkilvington@london.newsquest.co.uk), phone the newsdesk on 020 8744 4272 or leave a comment below.