Pine Tree Crescent resident Alan Blair, 55, claims he was hit with an £85 charge simply because he did not go directly from his vehicle into the supermarket when he parked in the free Coventry Road customer car park on December 21.

The builder says he went to a nearby bank and then to the Co-op.

The diversion took a matter of minutes - but it was long enough for a watching employee of Car Clamping Securities to ticket Mr Blair’s car.

Mr Blair said: “It’s not fair and a lot of people I have told have said they will start boycotting the store.

“I saw this chap with dark glasses sitting there in a van watching. He must literally have ticketed me while I was in the shop.

“It would be different if this was a private club, but it has been a community car park for years and it’s never full.

“Then about 18 months ago they put some signs up. If you read them, in theory, during the time you are walking from the car to the shop you are parking without authorisation because you are not actually shopping. It’s ridiculous and underhand.”

Mr Blair also claimed a warning to others he posted in a nearby shop window was taken down by the Co-op manager.

Co-op spokesman Peter Fletcher said: "The car park is intended for customers, however we have seen an increase in cars being left for long periods without visiting the store. We entered into an agreement with a third party to manage the car park.”

He said Mr Blair’s fine would be cancelled and further incidents dealt with “in a sympathetic way, on presentation of their shopping receipt."

CCS’ involvement will come as little surprise to Warwick motorists, several of whom accused the London-based firm of “entrapment” during a string of incidents at land off Swan Street. A woman in the middle of an asthma attack, a charitable driver dropping clothes off to a nearby branch of Age Concern and a nun were among those clamped by an operative there.

All claimed they had stopped for just a few minutes and were penalised within seconds of walking away by a man waiting in a Citroen van hidden under an overhanging tree.

No warnings were given, no operator’s licences were made available - and no account taken of the good intent, or medical necessity which resulted in the motorists stopping.

At CCS there was little sympathy this week. A spokesman said: “Let me guess - he just popped to the bank. That one’s so old its on a zimmer frame and we generally find that in places where there is closed-circuit television the ‘just popping’ bit takes 25 minutes and they come back with bags from other shops.

“Nonetheless, if Mr Blair wants to write and explain why he thinks he shouldn’t be charged we will take it into account.”