BBC News, 16 September, 2003

'Superhero' takes on clampers

Clad in a blue leotard and wielding a saw, a man claiming to be the UK's first wheel clamp vigilante is offering his services to motorists. Angle-grinder Man - a self-proclaimed superhero - patrols by night looking for unhappy drivers who have been clamped and then sets their cars free. He promises to take on clamping firms, speed cameras and the congestion charge on behalf of drivers. An odd-job man by day, he claims to operate in Kent during the week and in London at weekends. A hotline number on his website offers a free wheel clamp removal service. On calling, an answer phone message invites callers to "leave a message after the grinding sound". The unnamed man, who wears a costume of gold boots and crotch-hugging pants over a blue leotard, said he was happy to take the risk.

"It's a public service," he says on his website. "I for one am prepared to fight for what is fair and am making myself available to the public. 'Deeper malaise' "I may not be able to single-handedly and totally cast off the repressive shackles of a corrupt government - but I can cut off your wheel-clamps for you." He says he decided to go "full-time vigilante" in May this year. "My obsession with wheel-clamping is actually a rebellion against a much deeper malaise," he said. "Namely, the arrogant contempt that politicians hold for the people who put them into power, and whom they claim to represent."

A Kent Police spokeswoman said no complaint about wheel clamps being cut off had been made by either a clamping firm or a member of the public. A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said they could not investigate unless a crime was reported.

External links:
Official Site
BBC news september 2003
Wikipedia page

Internal links:
find more real-life superheroes