After years of outrage, it looks like the government is finally about to take action against rogue clampers, for too long the curse of motorists and their wallets.

Under the existing rules, clampers need to obtain a special licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) in order to be able to get into this highly lucrative business.

However, given that getting hold of such a licence requires little more than attending a few classes and stumping up a small fee, it's hardly surprising that the past few years has seen a marked rise in the number of companies getting into the clamping game and posting penalties of up to £250 on drivers unlucky enough to park in the wrong place at the wrong time.

What's more, to the irritation of consumer groups and individual motorists alike, such rogue operators have been often only too keen to make use of their legal right to tow cars away and even use baliffs to recover unpaid fines.

As such, tales of drivers being charged up to £400 in order to recover their vehicles after parking for just a few minutes on privately-owned land, such as garage forecourts or supermarket car parks, have become only too common, a situation which ministers are now keen to address.

Under the new government plans, parking operators will be first and foremost required to put up clear signs laying out the parking rules of a specific piece of private land.

Should these rules then be broken, rather than being given relative carte blanche to squeeze drivers for every penny they can, such firms will be limited to issuing fines of just £150, the maximum amount laid out in a set of guidelines issued by the British Parking Association.

What's more, should a car be clamped, it should cost no more than £125 for its owner to get it released, with a discount to be offered if payment is made within seven days, and at no point will they be allowed to get in touch with the DVLA for a driver's personal details, a practice which has in the past seen normally law-abiding citizens see bailiffs turn up on their front doors.

A common sense statement issued by the BPA read: "Irrespective of the detailed requirements in this code, the underlying philosophy is that the clamping or removing contractor should act reasonably and endeavour to resolve any complaint quickly and amicably."

However, though the new plans are aimed at driving rogue clampers out of business, given their skill at finding loopholes in the law, perhaps drivers should still be a bit wary over where they park for some time yet.